Newcastle v Juventus a brief history

Juventus 2 Newcastle 0

October 2002

An excellent defensive performance, on a night when Sir Bobby got the tactics spot on, was ruined by two late Del Piero strikes for the Italians. A controversial decision by the Dutch referee led to an Alan Shearer strike being incorrectly ruled out for offside with the score at 1-0.

Juventus 3 Newcastle 2

August 1997

A pre-season friendly played in Cesena. Juve took a 3-0 first-half lead through Ferrara and two from Inzaghi. Two Tino goals after 70 and 84 minutes made the score slightly more respectable.

OLD BOYS

Nobody in the current squads, but Ian Rush played for us and them with an equal lack of distinction.

THE GAME

Simply a must win game for us if we are to have any chance of progressing in the Champions League and we must avoid defeat to keep any hopes of a UEFA Cup place alive.

After Saturday both the team and the fans will be up for it, but whether our shaky defence can keep Del Piero at bay is a different matter.

MY PREDICTION

Newcastle 2 Juventus 1