Westville's journey in the OFC Cup has been a magical one, as they have always managed to surpass themselves in this tournament. Since 2006, they have won the Europa League 6 times, which is almost mind-boggling. I firmly believe that they have what it takes to get to the top again, however, they will have to battle Serie A giants Juventus in the quarterfinals first.
Looking back at the Round of 8, Westville proved their never-say-die spirit by coming back from a two-goal deficit against Manchester United in the first round to advance with a two-leg aggregate score of 5-2. Despite their unimpressive performance in the domestic league, their recent upturn in results has seen them rise to mid-table, so I'm sure they'll be putting all their energy into European competitions.
For this away match against Juventus, I think Xavier's two wings will be the difference between victory and defeat, especially on the left side of the pitch, which often creates multiple scoring chances. Aleksandar Dinis and Marcos Aguna are equally good on the attacking end, and are expected to attack on the wings and create crosses for central player Annesley in the middle.
However, the weakness of Westville's defense lies in the middle. Manchester United broke through Westville's defense from the middle of the pitch many times in the last 8, while Espinoza adopted a similar tactic in the last round of the league, but Westville eventually won 3-2. I expect Juventus' creative players such as Di Maria and Rabiot to try to find a breakthrough in Westville's midfield and pass the ball to the goal scorer Dusinho Horwath, who is agile in front of the ball.
I think Juventus will control the midfield, so Xavier will have to stay solid at the back and wait for an opportunity to launch a counterattack. But I believe Juventus can expect a narrow win at home, which will make the second leg even more tense.
