Heading into their head-to-head in Belgium, Club Brugge and Juventus are narrowly separated in the standings. The Turin side are likely to secure a victory on the pitch of the nominal underdog due to their individual skill, bringing them closer to the top eight.
Since the start of this European campaign, Club Brugge have faced three top opponents, with their only success coming against Aston Villa (1:0). Borussia Dortmund (0:3) and AC Milan (1:3) regularly created chances against Club Brugge (3.23 xGA over 180 minutes). Since 22 December, the Belgian champions have won five out of six domestic matches, conceding eight goals, but it will be far more challenging for Club Brugge to defend reliably against top-tier opposition.
On Saturday, Juventus secured a long-awaited victory, defeating AC Milan at home (2:0), with both goals coming from swift flank breakthroughs (1.03 xG and 15 shots over 90 minutes). Following their win over Manchester City (2:0) in the sixth round, Juventus have moved within two points of the top eight. The team can advance past the Round of 16 phase if they achieve decisive wins in the final two group stage matches.
This campaign, Juventus have remained undefeated in 13 away games. Club Brugge's naive attacking structure will allow the Turin side to gain the necessary advantage.
