Top Stories

Juventus vs Maccabi Haifa Match Preview: Timings, TV Schedule and How to Watch the Champions League

Juventus vs Maccabi Haifa Match Preview: Timings, TV Schedule and How to Watch the Champions League



In the horrors of the start of this season, Juventus' Champions League form has been at an all-time low. Until last month, Juve had never lost their first two Champions League group games. After dropping their opener at PSG before being humiliated by Benfica at home, Juve have made the kind of history they don't want very much, and now have their backs to the wall.


The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, Episode 119: Juventus get their first win in a month

At this point in time, entering the knockout stage of the Champions League is a fairly simple proposition for Juventus. They can't lose any of their next three games, and the last of the three will have to be won at home-away-big-away.

It is certainly a daunting task, but as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. And in Juve's case, that move is a home game against Maccabi Haifa.

Maccabi is the only team in the group from which Juventus have no losing business. Of course, Juventus has seen some teams so far that they have suffered no loss this year and have managed to do so. But now we're at the point in the group stage where anything but a win completely, utterly and utterly spoils them, so there has to be some sort of reaction.


Fortunately, the team got into the game after a 3-0 win over Bologna on Sunday. While not a major game by any stretch of the imagination, Juve eventually won by limiting Bologna's chances and being clinical enough with their own. We weren't expecting to see this year following the moves the team has made, but the squad currently has to rely on it given the issues they have had so far during the year. Still, a win is a win, and after a month when they haven't experienced such a sensation, this match needs a morale boost.



Maccabees will be far from easy pickings. He has shown so far that he has no intention of lashing out at the boys in this group. He played Benfica in their opener in Portugal, then actually took the lead at home against PSG, before the superior talent from Paris slowly knocked him down. Nevertheless, Neymar scored in the 88th minute to take them away from the game 3–1.

The Maccabees are a team that likes to do high press regardless of their opposition. High press has been a particular problem for Juve over the years, so it will be important to avoid mistakes against the Israelis. If Juve can manage to avoid killing themselves, they should be strong enough to get their first points of the Continental Campaign and begin their attempt on an impossible comeback.

team news

• Federico Chiesa has returned to training, but is still unavailable for the Games. Best case scenario, he returns to the bench in time for the game against Benfica.

• Paul Pogba and Caio George remain absent for a long time.

• Arkadiusz Milik is involved in the news of the biggest injury. The Polish striker has arguably been Juve's best player this year, but he missed training due to muscle fatigue, and Massimiliano Allegri said in his pre-match press conference that he would be available from the bench—but he expects his will not use.

• ngel Di Maria will play his two-game league suspension over the weekend after serving the first suspension. Allegri praised him for his performance in training during presser.

Juventus players to watch




Di Maria's presence on Wednesday is going to raise some interesting questions. Milik, of course, will not start, but given the unexpected success of the striker's partnership with Dusan Vlahovic, how to integrate the experienced Argentine into the team is a bit poser.

But regardless of how he uses it, Di Maria has some makeup to do. After a star turn in his competitive debut in the league opener, Di Maria has been unavailable for all four matches through injury or suspension. The latter is particularly galling, as his bony red card against Monza did a real damage to the team.

Having signed a deal worth €7 million over the summer, he has contributed far more than was expected. At his height, Di Maria can still dazzle. We all saw as much against Sassuolo in August. But for Juve to pull themselves out of the hole they've dug themselves, Di Maria will have to be the contributor the team paid for, and he has to start now.

When he became fit to start, Di Maria was often given the freedom to turn to the attacking third as he saw fit. It caused quite a bit of havoc when he was on, although he didn't have enough time to fix it with Vlahovic knowing where to go to each other. Expect them to start out as a nominally right-winger, with the freedom to take advantage of the Maccabi defense whatever position they find, wherever they find it.


After his final appearance, it is time for Di Maria to begin performing. let's get going.

match information

When: Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

Where: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy.

Official start time: 9 pm. Local time in Italy and around Europe, 8 p.m. In the United Kingdom, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, 12 noon. Pacific Time.

how to see

Television: BT Sport 8 (United Kingdom); Sky Sport Uno (Italy).

Online/Streaming: Paramount+ (United States); DAZN (Canada); BT Sport App, btsport.com (United Kingdom); Sky Go Italia, Mediaset Infinity (Italy).

Other live viewing options can be found here, and as always, you can also follow us live and all the stupid things we say on Twitter. If you haven't already, join the community on Black & White and Read All Over, and join the discussion below.


• Allegri: Nothing to celebrate for Juventus despite victory over Maccabi

• Juventus 3 - Maccabi Haifa 1: Initial response and random observation

• Game Time Thread: Juventus vs Maccabi Haifa

• Allegri: Juventus vs Maccabi is the most important Champions League game

• Manu's Grab Bag: Liability

• The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, Episode 119: Juventus get their first win in a month