The last year’s Champions League finalists are locking horns against each other in this season’s Quarter-Finals, as Juventus welcomes the defending champions Real Madrid on this Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018, at Allianz Stadium in Turin. The visitors are searching for the third Champions League trophy in a row, and they are set as slight +160 favorites to win the first leg in Italy, while the hosts are hoping for the payback after that 4-1 defeat in the last season’s Finals, so the football fans can expect a lot of drama in this matchup.
Juventus vs. Real Madrid
3-Way: 1: Juventus +185; X: +225 Draw; 2: Real Madrid +160 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread 0: Juventus +105; Real Madrid -120
Total +2.5: Over +115; Under -140
Qualification Matchups: Juventus +175; Real Madrid -225
JUVENTUS
The Old Lady is playing in a tremendous form in the last couple of months, staying undefeated in 25 games in a row in all competitions, recording 21 wins and four draws in the process, while keeping the clean sheet in 21 out of these 25 games. Juve’s defensive work is simply brilliant, as they’ve kept their net intact in 11 out of their previous 13 home matches, and reliable defense should be their strength against the mighty Real Madrid’s frontline.
In the previous round of the UEFA Champions League, the Old Lady has beaten Tottenham 4-3 on aggregate, winning the second leg in England 2-1 after the Spurs had a 1-0 lead at the halftime. Juventus looked like in dire straits, struggling to make a decent chance against Tottenham’s defense, but in just three minutes everything turns over at Wembley, as the Argentinian duo Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala bagged a couple of goals for a remarkable victory and another Champions League Quarter-Final.
Gonzalo Higuain is the team’s leading scorer with 22 goals in 40 appearances this season, while Paulo Dybala is right behind him with 21 goals in 36 games thus far. The 27-year old playmaker Miralem Pjanic is the team’s top assist-maker with ten dishes on his account in 36 apps this season, but he will miss the first leg due to a yellow card suspension. The manager Massimiliano Allegri cannot count on the experienced striker Mario Mandzukic (leg injury), while the defender Mehdi Benatia will also have to serve his yellow card suspension.
REAL MADRID
Los Blancos are having a turbulent season so far, as they’ve already given up the Spanish La Liga trophy to their arch-rival Barcelona, while they are still in the competition to grab the third consecutive Champions League crown. They’ve had a lot of drops in performance throughout the season, but in the last couple of weeks Los Blancos are playing very well, winning five games in a row in all competitions, and they’ve won nine out of their previous ten matches along with a 1-0 defeat at Espanyol in the dying moments of the game.
In the Champions League Round of 16, Los Blancos have beaten Paris SG 5-2 on aggregate, surprisingly winning both legs, 3-1 at home and 2-1 at Parc des Princes. Although the bookmakers favored the Parisians to make it through, Real Madrid put on a magnificent performance, particularly in the second leg in Paris, proving they are still capable of beating the strongest teams in the competition, so once again we’ll see them in the Quarter-Finals.
After a slow start of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo built up his form at the right time, and he’s currently the team’s leading scorer with 37 goals in 35 appearances, also adding six assists to his name. Gareth Bale has scored 12 goals in 29 games thus far, while Karim Benzema is having a disappointing season, bagging just eight goals in 34 apps so far, but he’s made 11 dishes which is two less than the team’s top assist-maker Lucas Vazquez. The manager Zinedine Zidane is having slight problems to field his best eleven against Juve, as the captain Sergio Ramos and the midfielder Isco are both struggling with injuries, but they should be ready for the kick-off.
Betting Trends and Match Prediction
- Juventus is undefeated for 25 games in a row overall
- Juventus won nine out of their last ten home games
- Juventus kept the clean sheet in 21 out of their previous 25 matches in all competitions
- Real Madrid won five straight games overall
- Real Madrid kept the clean sheet just twice in their previous ten matches
- Real Madrid lost just one out of their last 15 away games, along with ten wins and four draws
The bookmakers expect to see a tight clash, as it is the first leg of the matchup, so both sides are well aware there are 90 minutes more to be played in Madrid. It is hard to tell who’s closer to the Semi-Finals, as both teams are playing in a great form recently, and each side has a massive motive to eliminate the other one. However, the visitor’s defense was pretty fragile throughout the season, while their frontline was lethal in the last few weeks, so the fans could easily see a couple of goals in the first leg.
MY PICK: Both Teams to Score YES (-115)
