16 September 2019
In the first UEFA Champions League of the season for the Bianconeri, Juventus play at Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday evening against Atletico Madrid. These are two teams that have met three times in the last few months, with the most recent outing being a friendly match in the International Champions Cup in Stockholm. However, it was in last season’s Champions League Round of Last 16 that the two teams met, with Juventus, of course, pulling off a historic comeback.
SIMEONE’S NEW ATLETICO
It’s a transformed team compared to the last season, except for on the bench, where Diego Simeone will coach the Madrid outfit for the ninth successive year. He is always the constant point of reference for the club. Many have left: Griezmann, Godin, Hernandez, Kalinic, Rodri, Filipe Luis, Juanfran and Gelson Martins.
But the many farewells corresponded with the arrival of numerous new faces. The big signing is the 19-year-old Portuguese striker João Félix, who was signed from Benfica. Along with him, defenders Trippier (from Tottenham), Lodi (Athletico Paranaense), Hermoso (Espanyol) and Felipe (Porto) also arrived in Madrid, while in midfield, Llorente (Real Madrid) and Herrera (Porto) also joined the club.
JOÃO FELIX AND HIS GOALS
It is not easy for the young Portuguese talent to replace Griezmann both on a tactical level and in the hearts of the Colchoneros fans. Yet his 2018/19 campaign seems to demonstrate the great qualities expressed in the second part of last season with Benfica. For now, he is inclined than the French in the non-possession phase of the game (but Simeone will certainly work very hard on this aspect). Félix is used as a second striker in the 4-4-2 of the Argentine coach: he is generally fragile in battles, but it is through his speed, strong legs and execution, that the Portuguese manages to make the difference. This all enriched by a great sense of goal, makes him a formidable player.
In Stockholm, against Juventus, in the International Champions Cup match, Félix found the back of the net against. And it is only further proof in just how nippy and tricky a young strike he is.
