UCL Odds: Monaco in Tough, Down 2-0 to Juve
Juventus (-143) vs Monaco (+450), Draw (+300)
In order to advance to the 2017 Champions League final, AS Monaco will have to achieve the impossible: close a two-goal deficit at Juventus Stadium. Monaco will meet Juve next Tuesday (May 9th) for the second leg of the Champions League semifinal.
To put in perspective how tough Monaco have it, here are a couple statistics:
- Juventus have gone 600 minutes in the Champions League without conceding a single goal [source]
- Gianluigi Buffon’s record in the Champions League: 60 clean sheets in 100 matches [source]
This is the same Juventus team that trounced Barcelona 3-0 in the first leg of the quarterfinal, and then shut them out 0-0 in the second leg at Camp Nou. Remember, Barca had previously overcome a 4-0 deficit to win 6-1 against PSG.
Despite losing 2-0 at home, Monaco actually played quite well in the first leg. Kylian Mbappé had a few near misses and Radamel Falcao came close to snatching an early goal. The young Monaco side applied pressure for the full 90 minutes, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. Juve’s all-Italian backline — Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini — found a way to neutralize Monaco’s front two, and given the level of experience in the Juve defense, I think they’ll be well prepared for anything Monaco come up with in the second leg.
Juventus picked up two goals, with Dani Alves setting up Gonzalo Higuaín on two occasions. Monaco left themselves exposed a few too many times and Juve made them pay for it.
Monaco staged a memorable second-leg comeback against Manchester City in the Round of 16, but Juventus is a completely different beast. No one can hold onto a lead like this team, and the inexperienced Monaco side isn’t accustomed to competing at this level.
Monaco has been a joy to watch in the Champions League, and it would be amazing to see them progress through to the finals. But realistically, their chances are very slim. Even with the line at +300, I can’t justify picking them. Like we’ve seen time and time again, Juve will find a way to shut out their hard-charging opponent.
Pick: Juventus (-143)
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.
