UEFA Champions League: Juventus vs. Villarreal Preview, Odds, Prediction

Dusan Vlahovic and Juventus host Villarreal on Wednesday, wanting to advance to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. The hosts have an active result, and a home-court advantage, but beating the Yellow Submarine won’t be an easy task. The Spanish team has solid quality, and they, too, have certain ambitions. That’s why we expect to see an interesting clash at Allianz Stadium. The first one in Spain was exciting as well, with plenty of action on both ends. We hope to see another one like that. 

Preview

Juventus (-105) has been without a loss for the past 12 games. We saw them winning eight times during that stretch and posting four draws, and right now, the Citizens have four victories in a row. They are looking pretty well and confident, and as time goes by, this unit gains more and more confidence. 

The Old Lady has eight wins and two draws at home in the last 10, with six clean sheets. Thought, they scored three or more goals only once, so we can say that they don’t overexaggerate when it comes to netting. 

Rational and effective game is their trademark, although, we noticed that Vlahovic tends to play better on the road than at home, which is why we believe that Juve had a bit lower offensive output at Allianz over the past few weeks.

Villarreal (+320) was solid in the past two months, playing 10 games and posting five wins, three draws and two losses. For instance, they have just one defeat in the recent eight matches, and they are a tough nut to crack.

Though, we need to say that there is a certain disbalance between the Yellow Submarine’s performances at home and on the road. The most recent trip outside El Madrigal saw them losing to Osasuna, 1-0, and they had three defeats in the previous five road games. 

Also, this team was very efficient early on into the campaign and even before the New Year, but as time went by, their productivity and the productivity of their events deteriorated. Only three in the latest nine saw three or more hits.

Latest News

Bonucci, Chiesa, and Kaio Jorge won’t be eligible for the hosts, but they weren’t for a long time. McKennie’s absence is still fresh, and the Old Lady is adjusting to it. Zakaria is questionable. 

Villarreal has several game-time decisions, Alcacer, Gerard Moreno and Pena, but we believe that all of them will recover until the start of this contest.

Head to Head Games

The opening leg ended 1-1. Vlahovic scored with under a minute since the kick-off, shocking the hosts. However, Dani Parejo netted the equalizer in the 56th minute, and there weren’t any goals until the end.

Prediction

Juve is very good at home, and overall, they are playing well in recent times. We are leaning towards their victory because of good form and Villarreal’s tendency to struggle a little bit on the road. It is a risky bet, but our pick here is Juve to win, with the current odds set at +140.

Pick: Juventus +140