Juventus face RB Leipzig in their next Champions League match and the Serie A outfit, but it’s the Germans who are expected to come out on top ahead of the game.
It has been a good start to the season for Juventus under new manager Thiago Motta. They have played five Serie A games, winning two and drawing three. The Italian side are yet to concede a goal in the league currently. This sees them sit fourth in the division and only two points from Torino in first place.
They have already played their first Champions League match this season and it went very well as they managed to beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 at home, with goals coming from Kenan Yildiz, Weston McKennie and Nico Gonzalez.
Their upcoming opponents RB Leipzig started the season well as they managed four wins in a row. However, their form has changed. Since then they have played three matches, drawing two 0-0 and losing one.
Leipzig’s loss came against Atletico Madrid in their first Champions League match, where they were 1-0 up and ended up losing 2-1.
Juventus are not being tipped as the favourites despite this recent poor form from their opponents Leipzig. The latest odds suggest that Leipzig are favourites, with a £10 single bet on RB Leipzig paying out £23, compared to a similar sized bet on Juventus returning £32.
This may surprise some due to the good start Juventus have had this season; however, they are playing away from home and this is always very difficult in the Champions League.
Leipzig will not be easy opponents, and they boast some top talent in Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons. Juventus have managed to keep clean sheets against top Italian sides in Napoli and AS Roma, and their defence will have to be at their best if they are to get anything from the match.
The Serie A side should definitely take some optimism from the fact that they haven’t conceded a goal away from home all season, whilst Leipzig have struggled for goals over September.
Only the top eight teams automatically qualify for the next round with the new format, whilst teams who finish 9th to 24th have to qualify for the knockouts via a play-off. If Juventus could come away with two wins from two, it’ll put them in a good position to secure one of those coveted eight automatic spots.