(MENAFN- Kora) The Turkish Super Lig side, still acclimatising to life under new boss Hami Mandirali, will begin the second leg of their round-of-32 tie trailing 2-0 following goals from Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and Paul Pogba in Turin last week
Trabzonspor have not beaten a Serie A side at home since 1982, and will have to better the 1-0 scoreline recorded on that occasion in a 1-0 UEFA Cup first-round victory over Inter
However, Turkey does not exactly hold pleasant recent memories for Juventus, as it was a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray that dumped the Italian club into the Europa League during the final round of UEFA Champions League group matches in December
Additionally, Trabzonspor have an impressive continental record at the Huseyin Avni Aker Stadium to lift their spirits
They are unbeaten in seven matches on home turf in Europe and had not lost in 12 UEFA games this term until they ran into Antonio Conte's men - who are without a victory in their last four European away trips, losing three
Nevertheless, Juventus remain firm favourites and have the considerable carrot of this season's Europa League final being staged at the Juventus Stadiu
If that were not enough, a spicy tie with domestic rivals Fiorentina appears to be in store for the round of 16, with the latter having taken a 3-1 advantage over Esbjerg back to Florence
Despite his team's encouraging position, Conte has spoken of the need for Juventus to deliver an improved performance at both ends of the field in the second leg
Yet it remains to be seen whether the former midfielder will opt to field a full-strength side against Trabzonspor, given that a glamorous Serie A fixture at Milan awaits on Sunday
While Juventus hold a healthy advantage in their domestic league, having dropped only nine points all season, Trabzonspor have not been able to enjoy similar success
Mandirali's men lie seventh in the Super Lig, 15 points behind leaders Fenerbahce, and face a battle to secure European football for next season
Indeed, the appointment of Mandirali owed much to Trabzonspor's poor form as he stepped up from his role as assistant following Mustafa Akcay's resignation earlier this month
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.