The Fort Worth Press - Motta's injury-hit Juve struggling to fire ahead of Villa trip

Handily placed in the Champions League table and unbeaten in Serie A, Motta can be reasonably satisfied with his first few months in the pressurised environment of Italy's most widely supported club.

His arrival, after taking Bologna to their highest league finish since 1971 last season, was supposed to mean a clean break from the dreary, defence-minded football of his predecessor Massimiliano Allegri.

Juve backed their new man with a summer clear out of a large chunk of Allegri's old guard which was accompanied by hefty spending to rebuild the squad.

But so far that change hasn't materialised and Juve's recent performances have been underwhelming, with two wins from seven matches in all competitions, a run which includes a fully deserved home defeat to Stuttgart last month.

That is some way below expectations and has given Juve a lower Serie A points tally than at the same stage of last term, albeit with a tougher run of early season fixtures which has seen them face both Milan clubs away from home.

"It's impossible to make comparisons because we're in a completely different situation," said Motta after the weekend's bore draw at AC Milan.

"I'm pleased with what we've done, pleased with the many things that we've done right. We should be happy with what we've accomplished up to now.

"I've said this before but it should be underlined -- we're on the right track."

Juve's stalemate with Milan, the biggest game of the weekend, was the latest unconvincing display and came in a match featuring so little action that it infuriated neutrals and the two teams' supporters alike.

It left Juve four points behind Serie A leaders Napoli and, given the number of players missing through injury, questions over how far Motta's team can go this season.

Motta is missing eight players, two until the end of the season, after Weston McKennie became the 19th injury Juve have suffered this season and left the Italians with a squad of 17 for the trip to Birmingham.

Juve will have no recognised centre-forward at Villa Park as Dusan Vlahovic is still out with a thigh knock and Arkadiusz Milik has been sidelined with an injury to the meniscus in his left knee since June, the Pole undergoing a second operation to resolve the problem earlier this month.

They have the good fortune however of facing Villa just as the Premier League side are struggling through some bumpy form of their own, with four defeats in a six-match winless run.

Villa's most recent Champions League loss to Club Brugge means two points separate the two sides heading to Wednesday's fixture, with Juve sat in 11th, three places both from their English opposition and the direct last-16 qualifying places.

W.Matthews--TFWP