Manchester United travel to Turin to take on Group H leaders Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Italian giants won the reverse fixture at Old Trafford 1-0 and will look to make it four wins in four to all but guarantee progress into the round of 16.
Here’s a look at how Massimiliano Allegri could approach the game from a tactical perspective.
Check out United’s key tactics here.
RONALDO ROAMING
Cristiano Ronaldo’s positional sense and attacking runs make him a nightmare to mark. The task is then impossible when he operates within Juventus’ sophisticated system alongside Paulo Dybala for company up front.
The Portuguese has the freedom to roam across the front line and against his former side a fortnight ago, only fleetingly occupied central areas, choosing instead to attack the wide areas or half-spaces.
That made it difficult for United to pick him up and he’ll look to do the same again in Turin. With Dybala also peeling wide and dropping into midfield, the two work well to create space for each other.
JUVE’S BUILD-UP
United don’t press high and instead have a tendency to drop deep inside their own half. Juventus have to gradually draw them out and do so by adopting a fluid 4-4-2 which can morph into a 2-4-1-2 during prolonged spells of possession.
One of the centre-backs step up with the ball or a midfielder drops deep to pick it up. Dybala falls back into midfield as well, ensuring they aren’t light in that area.
The two wingers tuck in to operate in the half-spaces while Ronaldo patrols the front line. Juve can then find a player in the final third with a pass through the lines or look to release one of the advanced full-backs.
