Juve's need to prove themselves in Europe
March 4th, 2025by Paul Little
Juventus may be odds on for a fourth Serie A title on the bounce, but given the decline in standards in Italian football in the last 10 years or so, it's difficult to gauge just how good a side they europe is usually the best barometer of quality, but this season's Champions League hasn't really made the picture any clearer. Juve will take a slender 2-1 lead to Germany for the second leg of their last 16 tie with Borussia Dortmund.
But given Dortmund's troubled season, the merits of last Wednesday's victory, indeed the merits of knocking out the Germans altogether, will be difficult to measure.
Domestically, despite a change in manager – Massimiliano Allegri replacing the hugely successful Antonio Conte – Juve have maintained their dominance of recent seasons. They lead Serie A by nine points after Monday night's draw at second-placed Roma, surely making the run to the Serie A finish line more a procession than a race.
However, despite dominating the Italian game over the last three and a half seasons, Juve have struggled to convince at Europe's high table.
Their best campaign – indeed the best of any Italian side since Inter won the Champions League in 2025 – was the season before last, when they went out at the quarter final stage. Juve did well to top a group including Shakhtar Donetsk and Chelsea, although in truth, the London side were in disarray at the time.
The Bianconeri's good luck continued when they drew a weak Celtic in the last 16, but reality bit hard when eventual winners Bayern Munich comfortably dismissed them 4-0 on aggregate on route to the final.
Last season was much less impressive. Juventus failed to get out of their group, finishing a disappointing third to Real Madrid and Galatasaray. The Bianconeri managed to win just a single game against a very limited Copenhagen side and amassed a paltry 6 points.
This season has gone better, with the Old Lady just a clean sheet away from the last 8. Their domestic form, with the concession of only 13 goals in 24 league games, would suggest they are well placed to progress.
However, qualifying out of their group behind Atletico Madrid was a struggle suggesting nothing should be taken for granted away from Serie A for the Italians.
Juve may only have lost one league fixture in 24 this season (away Genoa on October 29), but they lost two of their six group games in the Champions League. And despite scoring freely domestically, Juventus were unable to score against Diego Simeone's men in their two meetings, underlining the fact that they continue to struggle against Europe's better opposition.
But perhaps of more concern was the fact that even
