Standard Liege host Juventus in high-profile pre-season test at Stade Maurice Dufrasne

Standard de Liege will face Juventus at Stade Maurice Dufrasne on 25 July in one of the Belgian club’s standout pre-season fixtures, with both sides looking to fine-tune their preparations and build momentum before competitive action resumes.

The match in Liege, scheduled for 18:00 GMT, is being billed as a major test for both squads as they seek to step up fitness levels, bed in new signings and sharpen tactical patterns during the summer schedule.

Burkina Faso-based pundit Mahamad Sangare, presenter of the football debate show La VAR on Burkina info TV, has offered his analysis and prediction for the encounter, highlighting Juventus’s superior squad depth but also backing Standard to trouble the Italian side’s defence.

Standard targeting confidence boost at home

Standard come into the game on the back of mixed results in their pre-season programme. In their most recent outing, they were beaten 2-0, a setback which the club nonetheless views as a useful source of lessons ahead of the new campaign.

Playing at home, the Rouches are aiming to restore confidence, test the progress of their tactical work and assess how their new recruits are settling into Vincent Euvrard’s plans. The backing of the Stade Maurice Dufrasne crowd is expected to be a key factor as they seek to raise their level against European opposition.

Euvrard has almost a full squad at his disposal. Only defender Josue Homawoo is unavailable through injury, leaving the Standard coach free to rely on his in-form players. Timothee Nkada, Casper Nielsen, Rafiki Said and goalkeeper Matthieu Epolo are among those tipped to have prominent roles in what is seen as a significant rehearsal for the season ahead.

Despite the strength of their opponents, Sangare believes Standard have enough quality and attacking intent to make an impact on the scoresheet, especially with home support behind them. He considers a goal for the Belgian side “a credible possibility”.

Juventus using Belgian trip as major yardstick

Juventus approach the fixture after a series of summer friendlies that have gradually increased in intensity. Their latest pre-season match ended in a goalless draw, a result the club has treated as another step in refining tactical structures and giving minutes across the squad before the start of official competitions.

For Juventus, the visit to Belgium is regarded as a meaningful examination on both a physical and tactical level. The aim is to continue integrating new signings, reinforce automatisms and ensure as many players as possible gain valuable game time.

Luciano Spalletti can call on what is described as a high-quality squad with considerable depth. Only young player Jeff Ekhator is sidelined through injury, while all the marquee recruits and established stars are available.

Among those expected to feature are Lois Openda, Jonathan David, Jeremie Boga, Khephren Thuram and Francisco Conceicao, giving Juventus an array of attacking options capable of lifting the tempo and providing a demanding challenge for the Standard defence.

Sangare underlines that, with such offensive resources and a strong bench, Juventus have multiple ways to threaten. In his view, seeing the Italian side score at least twice in Liege is “a perfectly plausible bet”.

History favours Juventus

The two clubs have met three times before this friendly. Standard and Juventus first faced each other in the last 16 of the European Cup in 1982, before meeting again in a friendly in 2022.

The record is firmly in favour of the Italian club. Juventus have won twice, while Standard are yet to register a victory against the Turin side. The only other result between the teams was a draw.

That historical trend, combined with the current make-up of the squads, leads Sangare to see Juventus as slight favourites, even with the match being played in Belgium. He points to the visitors’ greater experience and overall quality as factors that could prove decisive, despite both teams still being in the fine-tuning phase of their pre-season.

Transfer backdrop around the fixture

The match also takes place against a backdrop of transfer speculation involving both clubs.

On the Juventus side, the Italian giants “se positionne sur Jean-Philippe Mateta”, with interest in the forward forming part of wider squad planning during the summer window.

Standard, meanwhile, “passe a l’action pour Tawfik Bentayeb”, indicating a concrete move for the player, although Union Touarga are said to be adopting a wait-and-see stance and “temporise” over a potential deal.

These off-pitch manoeuvres underline how both clubs are using the summer period to reshape their squads while trying to strike the right balance on the field in high-profile friendlies such as Thursday’s encounter in Liege.

Betting odds linked to the match have been highlighted in some coverage, but organisers stress that such prices are liable to change as kick-off approaches.