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Juventus vs Chelsea Odds & Prediction – Champions League Group Stage Matchday 2

Quinn Allen

by Quinn Allen in Soccer News

Updated Sep 28, 2021 · 11:43 AM PDT

Juventus vs Chelsea
Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku celebrates with his teammate Jorginho after scoring his side's first goal during the Champions League Group H soccer match between Chelsea and Zenit St Petersburg at Stamford Bridge stadium in London Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
  • Juventus lock horns with Chelsea on Wednesday in Turin
  • Both sides currently sit atop Group H with three points apiece
  • Read on for the odds, preview, and prediction for this Champions League Matchday 2 clash

One of the most intriguing fixtures of Champions League Matchday 2 will be on Wednesday in Group H when Juventus welcomes reigning European champions, Chelsea, to the Allianz Stadium in Turin. The kick-off is set for 3:00 PM EST.

Both sides rolled to victories in their group stage openers, with the Old Lady beating Swedish outfit Malmo 3-0, while the Blues defeated Zenit by a goal thanks to a Romelu Lukaku winner late in the second half at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian and English giants have previously met four times in the competition, with each team winning once while the other two matches ended in draws.

Juventus vs Chelsea Odds

Matchup Spread Moneyline Total
Juventus vs Chelsea JUV +0.5 (-105) | CHE -0.5 (-110) JUV +320 | CHE -110 | DRAW +260 Ov 2.5 (+115)| Un 2.5 (-140)

All odds as of September 28th at DraftKings

Crucial Injury Blows for Juve

With their form starting to improve, Juve has been handed two injuries that will certainly hurt their attack on Wednesday. Both Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata are expected to be sidelined until after October’s international break because they picked up knocks in the side’s 3-2 victory over Sampdoria on Sunday.

That being said, Dejan Kulusevski and Moise Kean will likely lead the line against Chelsea. Following a poor start to the campaign, Max Allegri’s side has begun to find its identity. The Old Lady have now gone unbeaten in the last four games, securing back-to-back wins over Spezia then Sampdoria. That’s shot them up to 10th place in the Serie A table with a 2-2-2 record. While Juve has scored 10 goals in league play, they’ve also conceded the same number, which is slightly concerning, especially since their last two oppositions are bottom-of-the-table clubs at the moment.

As for Dybala, he was in fine form before limping off with an injury, having scored over the weekend. In fact, he’s already netted three times across all competitions while supplying two assists. Needless to say, the Argentine’s absence will be heavily felt.

YouTube video

Morata has also been impressive, bagging three goals this term. It’s going to be extremely tough to break down a strong Chelsea backline without this duo, but the hope is that Keane and Kulusevski can create some havoc in the final third.

Can Blues Bounce Back From Defeat?

Chelsea locked horns with Manchester City on Saturday in a rematch of the Champions League final, but Pep Guardiola got the better of Thomas Tuchel this time around as the Citizens secured a 1-0 victory. It was the Blues’ first defeat of the season and a rather uninspiring performance from an attacking standpoint. The UCL title-holders failed to register a shot on target in the fixture at Stamford Bridge, with City’s backline doing a tremendous job of containing Lukaku.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZsMMOGfvw4

The Blues however will be licking their chops after seeing Juve’s injury problems for Wednesday’s clash. Tuchel’s men are dealing with a couple of problems of their own, though. Reece James suffered a twisted ankle on the weekend when he got tangled up with Jack Grealish and will be unavailable to feature here. Christian Pulisic is doubtful as he continues to recover from an injury, while Mason Mount’s status is also in question. Nonetheless, Chelsea has no shortage of options to choose from.

Their first UCL game of the season wasn’t exactly convincing as they just snuck past Russian standouts Zenit in a 1-0 victory. Lukaku fired home a beautiful header in the 69th minute while Chelsea’s defense stayed solid, allowing just two shots on goal.

In fact, that’s been one of their biggest strengths this season, conceding a mere three times in eight competitive matches. On the other end of the pitch, Lukaku and Havertz will be looking to pounce given Juventus’s problems at the back this term.

Juventus vs Chelsea Key Stats

Juventus
VS
Chelsea
1-0-0 Record in UCL 1-0-0
3 Goals Scored 1
0 Goals Conceded 0
2-2-2 Record in League Play 4-1-1
LWDWW Form in Last Five Games WWWWL

Juventus vs Chelsea Prediction

With Dybala and Morata unavailable, it’s frankly impossible to know what to expect from Juventus up top. Kulusevski and Kean are typically used as substitutes and given how strong Chelsea is in front of Edouard Mendy, I don’t give the hosts much of a chance here. Take the Blues to collect the three points and keep a clean sheet.

Pick: Chelsea to Win Nil (+195)

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