Juventus will have to defy sub-zero temperatures to get a result in tonight's Group A clash at Lech Poznan in Poland.
"We will face polar temperatures," Giorgio Chiellini, the Juventus defender, said. "It's going to be tough but we will have to keep warm by running a lot."
Juve travel to the Miejski Stadion still searching for their first win in the group after four draws. They are third in the standings, three points behind joint-leaders Poznan and Manchester City with two games left.
With the Turin giants hosting City in the final group game on December 16, Juve know the importance of tonight's match.
"It's true that we haven't played great so far in this competition, but the fact that we are still alive in the competition means that our rivals have not done that well either," Simone Pepe, the winger, said. "But we must win tomorrow."
Luigi Del Neri's side can expect to meet a Poznan side hungry for victory. Three points tomorrow would see the Poles progress to the last 32 with a game to spare.
Meanwhile in Serie A, players are likely to strike after Sergio Campana, the Italian players' union representative, walked out on talks with the Italian league over a new collective bargaining agreement.
Campana left the negotiations yesterday despite a deadline for reaching a resolution to the dispute between the sides, making a players' strike highly likely according to ANSA news agency reports.The Italian Football Association (AIC) had previously set the weekend of December 11 and 12 as a strike date. The AIC refuses to accept a proposal that clubs can force unwanted players to train away from the first team or be forced to accept a transfer.
* Agencies
