Juventus hold a huge advantage over PSV after winning the first leg of the play-off 2-1 at home. If this advantage is big enough for the "Old Lady" to go through, they will be in the round of 16 for the first time in 3 Champions League seasons.
In the 34th minute of the match, US player Weston McKennie scored a powerful long-range goal from the edge of the penalty area. This was McKennie's third goal in the last eight matches, and his seventh goal in his UEFA Champions League career (six for Juventus, one for Schalke 04). The opening goal against PSV was also McKennie's third goal since the start of the qualifying round, after scoring against PSV and Man City.
After an impressive 68 minutes, McKennie left the field to the applause of the Old Lady fans. He was taken off early because Juventus will host Inter this weekend in round 25 of Serie A. This is an extremely important match because Juve is ranked 5th on the rankings with 43 points after 24 rounds. Meanwhile, the team above them is Lazio with 45 points.
In this round, Lazio will host the top team Napoli at home. If Lazio loses and Juventus wins, the "Old Lady" will officially take the 4th place from their opponent.
This is the season McKennie has received more appreciation from the coaching staff. The American midfielder has been a regular starter and has become an irreplaceable pillar. Captain Thiago Motta and his colleagues are aiming to build the team's midfield around the "engine" Weston McKennie.
In Juventus' starting lineup against PSV, there was another American player, Timothy Weah. In this match, Weah was assigned the position of right-back. He continuously had situations where he accelerated to threaten the PSV defense. Not only did he pass the ball inside, with the skills of a winger, Weah could even shoot from a distance to create pressure.
Weah's ability to play well at right-back could help the current US coach - Mauricio Pochettino - have less of a headache in increasing the depth of the squad. The right-back position used to belong to Sergino Dest. However, Dest suffered an ACL injury and has been out since April 2024, leaving the US team struggling in this position.
As mentioned, Weah has traditionally played as a left winger for the US national team, but if he plays well as a right-back, he could have a positive performance in the Concacaf Nations League next March.
