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And now we bring you to the main event. Okay, so the first leg of the main event, but you know what I mean.
For weeks — and, to be honest, probably months — we've been waiting for Juventus' round of 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund to arrive. That day is finally upon us, and within a matter of minutes, the two teams will be walking onto the field as Juventus Stadium fills up to full capacity. It's a night that can go so far in determining how Juventus' season will play out even though there's still a second leg left to play in a couple of weeks.
So if you were expecting a nice and relaxing Tuesday, this might not be your cup of tea.
It's pretty well known at this point that Dortmund are starting to seriously rebound from their disastrous first half of the Bundesliga season. After spending weeks on end in the relegation zone, Dortmund are now clear of any relegation thoughts for the time being and hitting their stride right as they make the trip to Juventus Stadium.
Sounds ... lovely, doesn't it?
Yeah, right.
But this is Juventus' chance show they can hang with a team that is two years removed from the Champions League final and has proven to be one of the tougher teams in Europe this season. Dortmund, for all their faults and slip-ups in domestic competition this season, has gotten the job done in the Champions League. Juventus, however, had their annual struggles in Europe with qualification for the knockout round being anything but textbook. (Like it ever is, though.)
With all of that being said, just go ahead and watch this here hype video. I think you're going to like it.
Like the video says, the time is now. Buckle up, folks.
Starting lineups for both Juventus and Borussia Dortmund will be available RIGHT HERE when they become available. No offense to Simone Padoin, but unless he's being brought on with three minutes to go with Juventus up a goal or two, let's have the big guys take care of this one. But, by all means, feel free to revert back to your role as Juventus' very own human victory cigar. That sounds like a grand idea to me.
UPDATE: STARTING LINEUPS ARE IN!
Juventus XI (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Marchisio, Pirlo, Pogba; Vidal; Tévez, Morata
Juventus bench: Storari, Caceres, Ogbonna, Padoin, Pereyra, Coman, Llorente
Borussia Dortmund XI (4-2-3-1): Weidenfeller ; Piszczek, Sokratis, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gündogan, Sahin; Mkhitaryan, Reus, Aubameyang; Immobile
Borussia Dortmund bench: Langerak, Ginter, Kirch, Kagawa, Kuba, Kehl, Ramos
