Match Preview
Wins in the last round of matches for Juventus and Club Brugge KV have kept both clubs in contention for progression to the next stage of the competition. Juventus took the lead in the group with their 2-1 win against FC Bayern München, while Club Brugge gained their second win against SK Rapid Wien to remain on the heels of Juventus and Bayern.
Matchday 1 meeting
• Juventus enter Matchday 5 with the advantage of having won in Belgium on the opening night of group competition. Pavel Nedvěd and David Trezeguet scored second-half goals to put Juventus in control, and although Club Brugge hit back with a late effort from Jeanvion Yulu-Matondo, the visitors held on for their win.
Previous encounter
• Before the opening game this season, the clubs had met previously 27 years ago. On their way to the 1977/79 European Champion Clubs' Cup final, Club Brugge met Juventus in the semi-finals.
• Juventus won 1-0 at home thanks to a goal from Roberto Bettega after 86 minutes, but in the return, Club Brugge quickly levelled through full-back Alfons Bastijns after just three minutes. The tie moved into extra time, before Club Brugge won with a goal after 116 minutes from Belgian international midfielder René Vandereycken.
Unbeaten at home
• Juventus will defend an unbeaten home record against Belgian clubs in this match. Four matches have been won, while RSC Anderlecht forced a 1-1 second-leg draw in Turin in the 1981/82 European Cup second round on their way to a 4-2 aggregate win.
• In that draw, Willy Geurts scored for the visitors in the 44th minute before Sergio Brio equalised on the night in the 79th minute. Incidentally, current Anderlecht coach Frank Vercauteren had scored for the Belgian club in the first leg.
• Juventus met Belgian opposition again in the same round of the same competition in the following season. This time they took on R. Standard de Liège and, after a 1-1 draw in Belgium, Juve ran out 2-0 winners at home courtesy of two Paolo Rossi goals. Juventus would go all the way to the final, only to lose 1-0 to Hamburger SV.
Biggest home win
• Juve's biggest win in their five home matches against Belgian opposition came the last time they played host to a team from that country. RFC Liège were beaten 3-0 in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals with all three Juventus goals coming in a 13-minute spell in the first half from Pierluigi Casiraghi, Salvatore Schillaci and Thomas Hässler. The Italian team had earlier won 3-1 in Belgium.
Success on last trip
• Club Brugge gained success on their previous visit to Italy. In 2003/04, the last time before this season that Club Brugge appeared in the UEFA Champions League group stage, the Belgian club were paired with AC Milan. Both teams won their away games by a single goal, Andrés Mendoza on target for Club Brugge in Italy, and Milan midfielder Kaká scoring in Bruges.
• The win in Milan was the second success for the Belgian side in Italy, Club Brugge having won at AS Roma on their first visit to the country on their way to the final of the 1975/76 UEFA Cup. In their third-round tie, Brugge won their home leg 1-0, and a Raoul Lambert goal in Rome ensured Club Brugge's progress to the quarter-finals where they met Milan for the first time. They won 2-0 at home and lost 2-1 away to progress 3-2 on aggregate, eventually reaching the final.
Even record in Italy
• Overall this will be the sixth game in Italy for Club Brugge, who have parity on their previous visits with two wins, a draw and two defeats.
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