MLS All-Star opponents Juventus have been hard at work ahead of Wednesday's 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, with a rigorous preseason schedule against some of Europe's biggest teams offering plenty to test the defending Serie A champs.
In their preseason opener, Juven defeated Bayern Munich, 2-0, in the International Champions Cup at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia Wednesday.
Andrea Favilli, a 21-year-old forward who signed in June from Ascoli in Serie B, but will be loaned to Genoa after the tournament, struck for both goals in an eight-minute span late in the first half.
From Philadelphia, Juventus made the short trip down the New Jersey Turnpike to train at the Pingry School ahead of their second match, against Benfica on Saturday afternoon at Red Bull Arena.
Joining the squad at training on Friday were Juve legends Edgar Davids and David Trezeguet.
While some Juventus players had some fun with an American football, Mattia Perin, Emre Can and Claudio Marchisio took time after training to sign autographs for some young fans.
From there, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri and defender Joao Cancelo attended a press conference ahead of Saturday’s match, where Allegri said the club planned on playing a 4-4-2 formation vs. Benfica, stating standouts Giorgio Chiellini, Sami Khedira and Marchisio would be in his starting XI.
Cancelo said the match against Benfica will be important for him after starting his career there before heading to Valencia.
It will be the Juventus’ last match before playing in the All-Star Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday (8 pm ET | ESPN, UniMás, TSN, TVAS). The bianconeri will then face defending European champions Real Madrid at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on Aug. 4 before heading back across the Atlantic.
