It is time for a futures betting article, and the call of the day is for Juventus to win the triple.
For those unaware exactly what the term ‘triple’ stands for, you are about to find out plenty about it.
Futures betting is a completely different animal than just picking the games on the board each day. In whatever sport or league that is played in the world, the line setters usually offer betting options on who will win the championship. Whether it be an extensive tournament like the World Cup, or a season-long league like Serie A, for example, plenty of sites offer selections on the team to win the event.
That is what futures betting is all about. Picking a winner, and not from your nose people, control yourselves!
This is about picking a winner before any games have been played, although some sports books adjust the lines on the remaining clubs as the tournament or season rolls on.
This article is all about mighty Juve, and I call them mighty for a reason. I will be giving you plenty of insight about an historically rich organization known simply as, The Old Lady. We can refer to them as Zebras, Hunchbacks, or any of the other nicknames they are labeled.
Let’s do this the right way, and cover all of our bases. Being Italian, as I am, this is easy for me, but I will simply list what you all see on Juve’s Wiki page.
La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady)
I Bianconeri (The White and Blacks)
La Fidanzata d’Italia (The Girlfriend of Italy)
La Madama (Piedmontese for: Madam)
Le Zebre (The Zebras)
La Signora Omicidi (The Killer Lady)
La Goeba (Gallo-Italic for: Hunchback)
Suffice it to say that everyone recognizes the Barcelonas and Real Madrids of the world. Meanwhile, England’s Premier League, German Bundesliga, and Italian Serie A complete the ‘big four’ in Europe with La Liga.
Many outlets will include France as part of what is known as the ‘big five’, but I will pass on any of that. France’s Ligue 1 is not going to make my list in this article, so let’s stick with the ‘big four’.
If we want to get all official about it, Spain, Germany, England, and Italy make up the top four nations in the UEFA co-efficiency ratings. You might have seen me mention the co-efficiency ratings in my Champions and Europa League articles. I certainly stay on top of all of that, and I at least take note each time an new update is released.
Outside of the highly-recognized Spanish clubs mentioned, Juventus F.C is arguably among the most recognized clubs in the world. Of course in Italian Serie A, Inter Milan, AC Milan and AS Roma have enjoyed a long history with some success, but it all rivals what Juventus has accomplished.
I really did not want to turn this into a ‘History of Juventus’ article. At the same token, when you are about to suggest a club winning a treble in Europe, a ridiculous background on the club involved sure doesn’t hurt.
I am about to suggest how to take advantage of some futures betting options. Ultimately, I will explain the treble, and how Juventus will be putting three more pieces of hardware in their showcase.
Each one of these stats revealed is a record for clubs in Italy.
61 Trophies Overall from Domestic and International competitions:
32 Serie A Scudetto titles;
11 Coppa Italia titles;
7 Supercoppa Italiana titles;
and 11 titles from European and International events.
Now you have some history to soak in.
Imagine if I even remotely started the players’ list of awards and achievements? How much time do you have? I don’t think our platform could handle the word count for the Juventus players’ list of awards, some of which is still happening today obviously, and it all starts with one name, four letters.
GiGi
Simply GiGi!
Amazing I say it starts with Gianluigi Buffon, because he is the last line of defense, and one of the most decorated goal keepers any of us have had the pleasure to watch. Open that highlighted link, and gaze in wonder at the accomplishments of GiGi Buffon.
His background and awards alone will have you sitting there thinking how incredible his career has been and he is not even done yet. At 39 years old, Buffon has yet to announce any type of plans to hang up his boots anytime soon.
That bodes well for the immediate future, and that is exactly what we hope to take advantage of here.
The Treble?
Can Juventus win the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia, and bring home the Champions League trophy in the same campaign?
The last club in Italy to pull off that feat came in 2009-10. Inter Milan won the Serie A title, the Italian Cup, and Champions League that campaign, although it ultimately was right at the end of Inter Milan’s dominance at the time.
Inter Milan were certainly among the most feared clubs in Europe for about 5 years, running from 2005-2010. Five straight Serie A titles, and the historic treble had Inter Milan on top of the world at the time.
Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were a big part of the Internazionale success during that run. Of course, the two have since rejoined each other at Manchester United.
So let’s see where we are at the moment, and discuss what Juventus has left to accomplish for the treble.
Before the Serie A campaign began in August of 2016, Juventus were listed as -185 favorites to take the Scudetto.
As of April 14, 2017, Juventus are in first place and six points clear of AS Roma. There are seven fixtures remaining in the Italian Serie A campaign this year. There are 38 rounds played in Serie A, but AS Roma and Juventus do have a heads-up meeting in round 36. That could be a pivotal meeting, obviously, depending if Juventus doesn’t open up a bigger lead entering that weekend.
Certainly the prospects look good right now, so two last tasks to complete futures betting treble remain.
Juventus and Lazio will be playing in the Coppa Italia finals slated for June 2. That match could be rescheduled if Juventus reach the Champions League final, however. The Champions League final is set for June 3, and they will certainly not move that to appease the Coppa Italia match. I guess one concern we could have is that the Coppa Italia final is at Stadio Olimpico, which is, of course, Lazio’s home pitch. They share the venue with AS Roma for now, although that will all be changing soon enough. Another story for another day.
As the lines appear right now, this is what is being offered at most sites who feature the Coppa Italia.
Coppa Italia Finals
Juventus vs Lazio
3-Way 1×2 Lines:
Juventus +105
Lazio +320
Draw +245
Handicap/Spread:
Juventus -0.5 +105
Lazio +0.5 -125
Total 2.5:
Over -105
Under -115
How lovely is that? I see that +105 on Juventus sitting there, and I don’t really care that the match is in Rome.
I will certainly suggest that +105 action on Juve to win outright, with no OT or shoot-out needed.
Suggested Play for Coppa Italia Finals:
Juventus vs Lazio
Juventus 3-Way 1×2 @ +105 to win in regulation time
That will/should complete the second of three things we need to happen, so what’s left?
Oh, just a little thing called…Champions League!
Now, I hope you all saw what I said about the Juventus vs Barcelona match for the Champions League first leg in Italy. You can access it right there, and let me tell you how much I enjoyed the 3 – 0 beat down of Barcelona!
Juventus got to host the front leg in their house and that is just not a place anyone wants to go. How do you like 20 Wins and 6 Draws in their last 26 home outings against European competition? I liked it when it was 19 Wins and 6 Draws before the match, and we cashed all three tickets that I suggested on the day.
Winning Serie A and the Coppa Italia should be the easier of the three tasks at hand. We all just saw Barcelona make up a four-goal deficit in their tie with Paris Saint-Germain, just to get the Champions League quarterfinals. That historic achievement was so insane to watch unfold, as Barcelona still needed three goals as regulation time was breathing down their necks. Obviously, Neymar got that little three-goal run started with the set piece goal, and then the next goal as well that put the possibility of a miracle in place.
Paris Saint-Germain is not Juventus, and a second miracle comeback is not in the cards. That’s right kids, I am telling you now that Barcelona has no second comeback in them this time.
Even more incredibly, the line setters are still listing Juventus at +325 to win the Champions League title. I know this because I just put it in my own book, so the money is where the mouth is.
Suggested Play on Juventus futures betting prop to Win Champions League:
Juventus To Win @ +325
With all that in mind, we will still likely see Juventus in the Champions League semifinals next. That will give us a couple of extra plays along the way, but watch for the announcement of the semifinals pairings on April 21. The front log of the Champions League semi’s will play out on May 2 & 3, with the return legs being played on May 9 & 10. Naturally, I will have articles up for the semifinals, and the finals too.
What does all that add up to in regards to futures betting and what I expect?
The Treble belongs to mighty Juve! When we finish the 2016/17 campaign, the record books will look a little different than they did entering the year.
What’s to be expected in the futures betting forecast?
A record 33rd Serie A title.
A record 12th Coppa Italia title.
And a 12th piece of European hardware for the Champions League title.
It may be three strikes and you’re out in baseball, but when we’re in Europe, striking three times creates history!
Buona Fortuna; In Bocca AL Lupo! Ciao!
