Atalanta and Juventus Face Tough Task in Champions League Round of 16 Battle

The second-leg matches of the Champions League play-offs scheduled for Wednesday represent a true test of character for the Serie A representatives. The most difficult situation is in Turin, where Juventus hosts Galatasaray Istanbul. The 2:5 defeat in the first match made fans aware of the scale of the crisis in which The Old Lady finds itself. Luciano Spalletti, Juve's coach, has resorted to unconventional motivational methods, showing players videos of their best plays to restore their belief in success. Despite optimism surrounding the return of Kenan Yıldız and Gleison Bremer to training, the Turin club is burdened by a streak of four defeats in their last five matches. Meanwhile, Atalanta Bergamo under Raffaele Palladino will face Borussia Dortmund. After the 0:2 defeat in Germany, the Italian coach is counting on the magic of their home stadium and the support of 23,000 fans. Atalanta approaches this match in good spirits following a league win against Napoli, which is meant to serve as the foundation for a historic remontada. In the hosts' lineup, an appearance by Nicola Zalewski is expected, who is to support Gianluca Scamacca in the offensive formation. However, Borussia, led by Niko Kovač, arrives with a solid advantage and the goal-scoring threat of Serhou Guirassy, making them favorites to advance. Historical statistics do not favor the Italian teams. In Champions League history, only four times has a team overturned a three-goal deficit from the first leg. Galatasaray, which has never won an away match in Italy, stands before a chance to advance to the continent's top sixteen for the first time in twelve years. The winners of these ties will join the elite eight teams, among which Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City already await. From the 2024/2025 season, the Champions League is being played in a new format, where the play-off phase has replaced the traditional knockout phase for teams finishing 9th-24th in the overall table.„Non giochiamo in 23, ma in 23 mila. Voglio che usciamo dal campo senza rimpianti.” (We are not playing with 23, but with 23 thousand. I want us to leave the pitch with no regrets.) — Raffaele Palladino It is worth noting that Juventus's squad situation forces Spalletti to carefully manage his players' energy, as they face a crucial league match against Roma this weekend, which will decide their participation in next season's European competitions. The financial pressure is enormous – failure to qualify for the round of 16 means a loss of tens of millions of euros from television rights and UEFA bonuses.