Welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 clash between Juventus vs Villarreal being played at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy. This is Aneesh Dey bringing you the pre-match buildup and live updates from this high-voltage clash.

Aggregate Score [Juventus 1-1 Villarreal]

13′ Miscommunication between the Juventus players leads to a haywire situation as no player could get a shot at goal. It was a good move by the home team but the players were not on the same wavelength.

11′ Save- Cuadrado finds Morata with a brilliant cross. Unmarked, inside the box, Morata gets a solid connection with his head but Rulli is there to make the save.

7′ Cuadrado swings a good ball inside the box from the right. Morata, who had made a good run, slides to get a touch but fails to do so as Rulli catches the ball.

5′ Villarreal keeping the ball well in the opening minutes of the first half.

3′ An energetic start by Juventus- Cuadrado played a good pass to Morata who had made a good run inside the box, but is ultimately policed off the ball.

1′ Kickoff!

1-30 am- And we are underway!

1-15 am- 15 minutes to kick-off!

Juventus’ Alvaro Morata warming up before the match.   –  REUTERS

1-00 am- Stat Attack!

12-45 am- The Juventus Stadium is ready for the clash!

12-36 am- Starting lineups are out!

Juventus XI: Szczesny(GK); Danilo, Rugani, De Ligt, De Sciglio; Cuadrado, Locatelli, Arthur, Rabiot; Vlahovic, Morata.

Coach: Massimiliano Allegri

Villarreal XI: Rulli(GK); Aurier, Albiol, Torres, Estupinan; Pino, Parejo, Capoue, Trigueros; Lo Celso, Groeneveld.

Coach: Unai Emery

12-15 am- The danger-man Villarreal needs to be careful of. Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic already found the net once in the first leg and will be eager to add more in tonight’s clash.

MATCH PREVIEW

Villarreal coach Unai Emery wants his side to be remembered for its accomplishments in this season’s Champions League, starting with a win in its last-16 match at Juventus on Wednesday.

The teams are level at 1-1 after the first leg in Spain.

“We don’t want Villarreal to be something ephemeral in the Champions League, we want to be here to stay,” Emery told a news conference on Tuesday.

“Winning against a club like Juventus means the opportunity to keep competing at the European level. We want to build around defined structures so we can stay here long-term… It’s wonderful to be in the Champions League and we don’t want to leave.”

The former Arsenal and Paris St-Germain boss has good memories from Turin, where he guided Sevilla to its third Europa League title with a 4-2 shootout win over Benfica in 2014.

However, it also lost 2-0 there against Juventus in the 2015-16 Champions League group stage.

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“We are aware of what Juventus are, their magnitude and what they represent. They are one of the most successful teams in Europe,” Emery said.

“They are the clear favourites, but we must respond with our collective game. The rival is going to set the bar high for us. We have high expectations in our own self-confidence. We will be ready to play a competitive game and to go all the way to extra time.”

Emery expects a very different contest from the first leg in Spain, adding: “They (Juve) are used to living with the obligation to win, that’s why they are the biggest team in Italy.

“Juventus have a strong defence but also two exceptional forwards in Alvaro Morata and Dusan Vlahovic. So it will be important for us to control the possession, have the ball at our feet and make them take more aggressive responses.

“In the first leg they got in front and it gave them confidence but later they realised that it was not going to be that easy.”

(Via Reuters)

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