UCL Odds: Barca Attempt the Impossible vs. Juve – Again!
Barcelona (-180) vs. Juventus (+520), Draw (+380)
Can Barcelona manage two impossible comebacks in the span of two months?
Juventus will be guarding a three-goal lead when they head to Camp Nou for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday (April 19th). And if anyone knows how to defend a lead, it’s the champions of Italy.
In the first leg, Paulo Dybala opened the scoring in the seventh minute and netted a second in the 22nd. Then defender Giorgio Chiellini put the game beyond doubt with a goal in the second half. Meanwhile, Barcelona had their fair share of opportunities but keeper Gigi Buffon’s stellar performance ensured a clean sheet for the Italian side.
Of course, we can’t forget that Barcelona recently staged the greatest comeback in Champions League history, overcoming a 4-0 deficit to eliminate PSG with a 6-1 win at Camp Nou. But Juventus is a whole different animal.
For starters, their defense is one of the best (if not the best) in the world. Their center backs, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, are among the most experienced and reliable defenders around. And they have former Barcelona star Dani Alves and Alex Sandro (dubbed ‘the next Roberto Carlos’) accompanying them on the backline.
Barca’s loss to Juventus came just three days after a shocking upset to Malaga in La Liga, potentially shutting them out of the title. Before that, they suffered another defeat to Deportivo la Coruna. The Barca midfield just isn’t working as it used to and there isn’t an easy fix for it.
However, Barcelona have won every home game in the Champions League since Luis Enrique took over in 2013. That makes for 15 straight Champions League wins at Camp Nou. But Juventus also have an impressive record playing away. Max Allegri’s squad have won all four of their away games in the Champions League this season.
We know better than to write off Barcelona when they’re chasing a lead, but overcoming a three-goal deficit against Juventus is a much tougher task than a four-goal deficit to PSG.
Barca have done amazingly to make it this far, but I think their journey ends here.
Pick: Juventus (+520)
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
