Dynamo Kyiv vs Juventus Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
By George Cannon
Andrea Pirlo is set to take charge of his first Champions League match as a manager without the services of Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday as Dynamo Kyiv host Juventus.
The Old Lady make the trip to Ukraine without their talismanic forward to face a side making their first group stage appearance for four years. Kyiv got past AZ Alkmaar and Belgian outfit Gent in the qualifying stages and possess some of the national team stars who recently defeated Spain in the Nations League.
Barcelona host Hungarian champions Ferencvaros in the other fixture in Group G as Juve attempt to qualify for the knockout rounds of Europe's elite cup competition for the 19th time in their history.
Where to Watch on TV
When Is Kick Off? Tuesday 20 October
What Time Is Kick Off? 17:55 (BST)
Where Is it Played? Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex
TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sport 1 (UK), fuboTV (US)
Referee? Ovidiu Haţegan
Team News
Kyiv head coach Mircea Lucescu has star man Viktor Tsyhankov to call upon after his heroic exploits over the international break. The winger scored the winner for Ukraine in their 1-0 victory over Spain, and he'll be hoping to continue his giant-killing streak at club level.
Lucescu has no fresh injury concerns and is expected to line-up in a 4-3-3 formation with Carlos de Pena and Tsyhankov providing the width.
Ronaldo and American midfielder Weston McKennie both remain in quarantine and are out of this opening clash. That means Pirlo could stick with Alvaro Morata and summer signing Federico Chiesa up front, although the latter's red card at the weekend could see Paulo Dybala recalled to the starting lineup.
Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon started between the sticks in Saturday's draw but former Arsenal shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny is expected to return in midweek behind a defence of Danilo, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
Predicted Lineups
Dynamo Kyiv: Bushchan; Kedziora, Zabarnyi, Mykolenko, Karavaev; Buyalskyi, Sydorchuk, Shaparenko; Tsyhankov, De Pena, Supriaha.
Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Chiellini; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Arthur, Bernardeschi; Kulusevski, Morata, Dybala.
Recent Form
Both sides have made unbeaten starts to the new season, with Dynamo Kyiv sitting two points clear at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League table. The capital club have amassed four wins and two draws from their first six domestic matches, but have yet to face opposition in the same class as the Bianconeri.
Pirlo's side have yet to really get going in what's been a stop-start season for last season's Serie A champions. They've only played three league matches after Napoli failed to show up to their scheduled game due to a coronavirus outbreak within the squad and a draw to Crotone over the weekend compounded their lacklustre start to 2020/21.
It shouldn't be too long before Juve's world-class quality shows though, and this could be the perfect opportunity to kickstart their campaign. Arthur and Rodrigo Bentancur have the potential to form a midfield partnership to rival any in European football, and young Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski has all the makings to be an incredible talent.
Here's how the two sides have fared in their last five fixtures.
Dynamo Kyiv
Rukh Vynnyky 0-2 Dynamo Kyiv (17/10)
Dynamo Kyiv 1-1 Zorya Luhansk (4/10)
Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 Gent (29/9)
Mynai 0-4 Dynamo Kyiv (26/9)
Gent 1-2 Dynamo Kyiv (23/9)
Juventus
Crotone 1-1 Juventus (17/10)
Roma 2-2 Juventus (27/9)
Juventus 3-0 Sampdoria (20/9)
Juventus 2-1 Lyon (7/8)
Juventus 1-3 Roma (1/8)
Prediction
Juventus have the potential to hit top form at any moment and display the talent that has won them nine consecutive Scudettos, but they are yet to show it this season.
Kyiv is a hard place to go and Lucescu is an experienced coach with a history of European success. It could be a tricky night for the Old Lady, and unless they're at the top of their game, an upset of sorts could be on the cards.
Prediction: Dynamo Kyiv 1-1 Juventus