Game Time Thread: Juventus vs. Cagliari

Are you still upset about what happened a few days ago? Are you still smoldering about Juventus disappointing you on the Champions League stage once again? Are you still wondering what exactly is left to pay attention to this season?

Well, the good thing is that we’ve got something for you.

(No, this is not about to be a commercial to sell you some kind of home floor cleaner or a new vacuum that ensures all of your pet hair gets snatched on the first pass of the carpet. Don’t worry. DON’T WORRY.)

There’s something to get your mind off any lingering thoughts about Juventus’ latest Champions League exit in the round of 16. There’s something truly special brewing this weekend as we look to see if Juventus can pick themselves off the mat after the midweek disappointment that was the latest Champions League disaster.

There’s an old friend coming to town. He’s a beloved old friend who will make things all the better again no matter what you think about how the last few days have gone in the aftermath of the latest European failure.

Photo by Silvia Lore/Getty Images

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Dani boy, Dani boy, Dani boy!

OK, OK, OK. This is where the schtick ends and the serious talk begins. Maybe not totally serious, but at least somewhat on topic and not trying to your mind away from the stupidity of earlier in the week. Juventus’ first game against Daniele Rugani and Cagliari tonight is not going to be the magic fix to what is still probably lingering after Tuesday night’s Champions League elimination at the hands of Porto.

The concentration now is fully on Serie A with no European football for the rest of the season. And not just Serie A, but making sure that there’s Champions League football once again next season since a top 4 finish isn’t exactly a certainty with how the team has been playing for the last few weeks. Or the entire season seeing as Juve’s still closer to the first couple of teams that sit outside a European spot than they are closer to league leaders Inter Milan.

With the number of games to either make one last-ditch effort to catch Inter or ensure Champions League football is around in Turin next season shrinking by the week, this is officially crunch time no matter the situation. Sure, Juve have a game in hand still, but in a few weeks there will be less than 10 games to go in the 2020-21 season. And with the number of games in single digits fast approaching, there’s now only so many points out there for the taking.

So maybe Juve snap back into action against Cagliari tonight.

That sure would be nice considering what we’ve been watching the last few weeks and how completely up and down it has been.

MATCH INFO

When: Sunday, March 14, 2021

Where: Sardegna Arena, Cagliari, Italy

Official kickoff time: 6 p.m. local time in Italy and across Europe; 5 p.m. in the United Kingdom; 1 p.m. Eastern Time; 10 a.m. Pacific Time (Remember, if you’re in the U.S., this is the first day of Daylight Saving Time.)

STARTING LINEUPS

Juventus starting XI (4-4-2?): Szczesny; Cuadrado, de Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Kulusevski, Danilo, Rabiot, Chiesa; Morata, Ronaldo

Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Bonucci, Di Pardo, Dragusin, Frabotta, Arthur, McKennie, Bernardeschi, Fagioli

Cagliari starting XI (3-5-2): Cragno; Ceppitelli, Godin, Rugani; Nandez, Marin, Duncan, Nainggolan, Zappa; Joao Pedro, Simeone

HOW TO WATCH

Television: TLN (Canada); Premier Sports 1 (United Kingdom); Sky Sport Serie A, Sky Sport 251 (Italy)

Online/mobile: ESPN+ (United States); DAZN (Canada); Premier Player HD (United Kingdom); Sky Go Italia, NOW TV (Italy)

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