Ajax vs Juventus Leg 2 Odds & Picks – Champions League Quaterfinals

• All square after the first leg
• Ronaldo on the mark
• Value with Ajax’s +425

Juventus and Ajax are two of the giants of European football and every meeting between them is huge.

Last Wednesday’s game was no exception and it was no surprise that these two evenly matched teams played out an entertaining and tense 1-1 draw in Amsterdam’s Johann Cruyff Arena.

The tie resumes this week for Leg 2 on Tuesday, April 16 at 3:00pm EST in Italy. Juventus are listed as heavy favorites to advance with odds of -305.

Ajax vs Juventus Odds

*Odds taken April 15, 2019

On a Knife Edge

This week’s second leg is on a knife edge and although the bookies understandably see Juventus having the edge, let’s not forget that Ajax won 4-1 in the Santiago Bernabéu when beating Real Madrid in the round-of-16. These guys will not be fazed by the sound and noise of Juve’s Allianz Stadium.

For Ajax, things could have been so different however and while they will head to Turin with a positive mindset, they will be feeling a little aggrieved that they are not taking with them a first-leg lead.

Ajax will need to recreate their heroics in Madrid to give themselves a chance

They produced a dominant performance last week and played some really good stuff while creating quite a few goalscoring chances. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to take any of those they created in the first half and were hit with a sucker-punch on the stroke of halftime.

Ronaldo Again the Hero

Not for the first time, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who found space between Ajax’s centre-backs to clinically head home and give the Old Lady a lead they didn’t really deserve. It was his 125th Champions League goal.

Champions League: What Cristiano Ronaldo said after Juventus’ 1-1 draw with Ajax https://t.co/JvHbKzSu8q pic.twitter.com/wOcnxbZnbD

— Daily Post Nigeria (@DailyPostNGR) April 11, 2019

The lead didn’t last long though and almost straight from the kick-off, David Neres robbed Joao Cancelo of possession and finished off a powerful run with a fizzing shot that pulled his side level.

Ajax vs Juventus Leg 1 Stats

The second half toed and froed but always with the Amsterdam team in the ascendency.

Yet it was Juve’s Douglas Costa who came closest to winning the game when he crashed an angled shot against the Ajax post.

🏆 Champions League
⚽️ #AJAJUV : Ajax 1-1 Juventus
⚽️ #MUNFCB : Manchester United 0-1 FC Barcelone pic.twitter.com/FQ0WkSETMT

— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) April 10, 2019

It will be a different story this week though, as Juve have a fantastic home record, and will likely be a role reversal with Juve having a lot of the ball and Ajax having to soak up pressure and play on the break.

The Turin Fortress

The Italian giants have played 21 home matches at home this season, winning 18, drawing two and losing just the one – 2-1 to Manchester United in the Champions League group stages.

Since the United game, the Old Lady have been relentless and have won 12 of 13 home games. The Allianz Stadium has become a fortress in both Serie A and Europe, and they have scored plenty of goals along the way.

https://twitter.com/ajaxtimes/status/1116374794969210881

This will be a big ask for Ajax, make no mistake, and they will need to recreate their heroics in Madrid to give themselves a chance.

To make things doubly challenging, Ajax has never won in Turin but this young vibrant team came of age in Madrid and will still believe they can qualify for the semi-final.

.@SpursOfficial fan in Turin? Find out more about our city, Allianz Stadium and #JuventusMuseum ➡️ https://t.co/vTin7HI6kK #JuveTOT #UCL pic.twitter.com/ech6A7i7M4

— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) February 12, 2018

Fearless Ajax Unfazed by the Allianz

We think Ajax can do this and while Juve hold all the cards in terms of their great home record and being an experienced team that is used to handling these big European nights, their home defeat by United and Ajax’s win in Madrid could be key factors.

We’re going big here and not only do we think Ajax’s verve and energy will see them go through to the semi, but we also think they will win the game outright.

Our pick: Ajax to win 2-1