Match Today: Juventus vs Maccabi Haifa 05-10-2022 UEFA Champions League

Juventus will face an indispensable match against Maccabi Haifa in the third round of the Champions League Group H at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.

Juventus are back on winning ways at the weekend against Bologna and will now need a similar performance against Israeli giants Maccabi Haifa in their Champions League Group H match on Wednesday.

The Bianconeri lose consecutive defeats in the tournament - first against Paris Saint-Germain, then against Benfica. And Juventus is currently six points behind the qualifying places.

In fact, the only thing that kept them from the bottom of the group was the poor goal difference of Maccabi Haifa.

Massimiliano Allegri and his team cannot secure anything less than three points to survive the competition to qualify for the 16th place of the tournament. Juventus looked shaky all season and Maccabi Haifa, despite their place in European football.

While the Bianconeri will be absent from the injured trio Federico Chiesa, Paul Pogba and Caio Jorge. Massimiliano Allegri has a perfectly fit squad to choose from in the match to be won.

Juventus is a shadow of the best dominant player and looks from their depth to the highest table in Europe.

Maccabi Haifa, to his credit, gave Benfica and PSG a proper fight in their first two matches, and arguably was the third best team in the group at their current level. Winning either side on the night gives them a fighting chance to qualify for the knockout stages. More or less losing leaves them stranded, with the Europa League betting closer.

It promises to be a fun game where points will be decisive at the end of the group stages. The quartet of Adrien Rabiot, Alex Sandro, Manuel Locatelli and Wojciech Chesney are all back in action at the weekend and will compete on Wednesday as well. Angel Di Maria has been suspended for the match against Bologna and is another player who has a strong case to appear against Maccabi Haifa.

The two teams faced each other only twice, in the 2009-2010 season. Juventus won both matches 1-0 and Maccabi Haifa played for Italian teams in Europe only five times. They have won only once, against Parma in the 1993 Cup Winners' Cup.

Juventus are currently playing three losing matches in the Champions League. The Turin giants have not lost four consecutive games in the competition. Maccabi Haifa has not won a single Champions League away game. They have lost eight and drawn two so far.

Maccabi Haifa has not scored an away goal in the Champions League since November 2002. Juventus have never opened their Champions League campaign with three consecutive defeats.

The last time Juventus failed to win their first three group stage matches was in the 2013/14 season. They failed to qualify for the knockout rounds that year.

It is likely that Allegri will enter his team with a 4-4-2 formation, which is flexible in light of the situation. Chesney should start in goal behind four defenses from Danilo, Gleeson Bremer, Leandro Bonucci and Mattia de Sciglio. The Israeli giants, on paper, are the lowest of the four sides in the group.

However, Maccabi Haifa fought a brave battle against Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain in their first two matches and did not appear to be afraid of facing more famous opponents. Juventus did not perform well against the parties that moved into the match, and would be reckless in sending off Barak Vapor's men. Haifa will be without Will Podgorino and Mahmoud Jaber, both injured.