If you haven’t been paying attention to the Champions League so far, you may be thinking you have a little déjà vu. Juventus and Real Madrid are set to clash for what feels like the umpteenth straight year. The two sides met in the Champions League final in Wales last season with Real Madrid getting the better of things in a 4-1 win. The victory gave the Merengues their record 12th European title. Now, Juventus will look to settle the score.
Don't miss the Champions League Quarterfinals action from Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy at 2:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FS1.
Champions League Quarterfinals Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Real Madrid +156
Juventus +182
Draw +217
Over/Under 2 and 2.5
Odds Analysis
Real Madrid has not had the season you might expect. Madrid have won three of the last four Champions League titles, but the club may not win any hardware this season after crashing out of the Copa del Rey and falling too far behind Barcelona in La Liga.
The Merengues are still considered one of the favorites to win the Champions League though. Real Madrid survived a group that included Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund to make it to the knockout stages. There, they defeated Paris Saint-Germain 5-2 on aggregate to disappoint the French giants yet again.
Juventus is four points up on Napoli in Serie A, but many of their fans would tell you that they would prefer a win over Real Madrid and a spot in the Champions League Semifinals to another Italian title.
Juve was a bit fortunate to get to this point. The club did manage to do well during the Group Stage, but blew a 2-0 lead in Turin to Tottenham and looked set to be bounced out of the Champions League on the return leg. Two second-half goals ended up being the difference for Juventus in the game though.
Matchup to Watch
Real Madrid is very likely to press from the outset, while Juventus will lay back and wait to counter. It’s a strategy that typically works well for Juventus, and Italy as a whole, but lately it’s got the club into a bit of trouble during big matches. The defense has been more porous than it has in recent years, so opponents have been able to find holes and attack.
Injuries to Watch
Real Madrid is unscathed coming into this matchup. The club has been remarkably healthy through the latter half of the season, with players only suffering a handful of injuries.
Their counterparts have not been so fortunate. Juventus will be without a number of its first-team players for this tilt. Midfielder Miralem Pjanic and central defender Medhi Benatia are barred from playing due to yellow card accumulation, while Federico Bernardeschi and Alex Sandro won’t be able to play due to injury.
The international break may have made things worse, as both midfielder Sami Khedira and central defender Giorgio Chiellini went down with injuries in their countries’ friendlies over the weekend. Both have not been fully evaluated as of yet, and their status is up in the air for this tilt.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Everything seems to be favoring Real Madrid coming into this one. The Merengues have the injury advantage, the recent track record of success, and they beat Juventus 10 months ago with roughly the same squad.
However, Real Madrid have been able to be picked apart at the back this season. Juventus will bide its time and wait for the right counter, and that will be the difference in this one. Although he has had some oops moments this season, I expect Gianluigi Buffon to come up big for Juventus one more time in a narrow win.
Champions League Odds: Juventus 1, Real Madrid 0
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