Ronald Koeman Says Pjanic Will Help Barcelona Stop Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus
New Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has revealed how ex-Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic can help his side with tips on how to stop Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus in their upcoming Champions League encounters.
Juventus and Barcelona will go head-to-head on Wednesday, 28 October at Allianz Stadium in one of the highly-anticipated fixtures of 2020-21 Champions League campaign. And with the return fixture taking place on Tuesday, 8 December, there’s also an anticipated Ronaldo Vs Messi battle on the cards as well.
New Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman Talks Up Juventus and Barcelona Fixture
So far, a lot of mind games are already in full swing from both parties. A week ago, Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved reckoned that the Turin outfit is ready for the encounter with the Catalan opponents.
Now, the new Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has talked up the clash in a like manner. The Dutch, in his comments, hints that his side could have a secret weapon to neutralize Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus in Miralem Pjanic.
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The Bosnian midfielder, who has played alongside Ronaldo for two seasons in Italy, joined Barcelona this summer from Juventus. And the new Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is hopeful the midfielder will give some hints on how they can stop Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus when they face off in the two-headed fixture.
“It’s a very important competition. In theory, we are the best in the group, but we have to show that,” Ronald Koeman said to the Barcelona website when asked about his Champions League group.
“We start at home against Ferencváros, which is an important game for which we have to prepare and analyse the opposition.”
“Juventus are showing every year that they have a strong team, with experience and a great player like Cristiano Ronaldo. We have Pjanic, who can give us a little more information about his former club,” added the Dutchman.
However, going by that theory means that Arthur Melo, who switched from Barcelona to Juventus this summer could also provide his current side with the same ‘info’ on how to stop his former employers together with main man Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo Vs Messi Head-To-Head Record
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have faced each other on 35 different occasions throughout their career, with most of those encounters characterized by the El Classico (Real Madrid Vs Barcelona matchup).
Since Ronaldo left the La Liga giants Real Madrid in summer of 2018, this will be the first time Ronaldo and Messi will face each other. So meeting again in this much-anticipated fixture is something the fans would be excited about.
| WINS | DRAWS | GOALS | |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 10 | 9 | 19 |
| Lionel Messi | 16 | 9 | 22 |
Meanwhile, both camps are just engaging in mind games at the moment, going by what’s being said so far. However, the real talk will be on the pitch when both sides face off in less than three weeks from now.
But many pointers are gunning for Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus to go all out for victory over the Catalans.
Who do you think will come out tops when Juventus and Barcelona meet in the Champions League encounter? Feel free to share your opinion with us via our comments section below!
