Champions League
2018-11-27 - Juventus vs Valencia
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Champions League
Tuesday 27th November 2018 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Juventus
There won't be too much panic in Turin after seeing the way Juventus were beaten by Manchester United and fail to secure their place in the Last 16 of the Champions League. The Italian Champions remain in control of not only a place in the next Round but also of winning this Group and Juventus have a second chance to confirm their spot in the Knock Out Rounds when hosting Valencia on Match Day 5.
For long periods it looked like Juventus were not only going to beat Manchester United, but beat them by a comfortable margin. The manner of the loss would have disappointed the players, but Juventus remain top of the Group and they can confirm themselves as winners of the section with 2 wins from their remaining couple of games. The Old Lady have beaten Young Boys here in the Group, but Juventus have won 1 of their last 5 home Champions League games and lost 2 of their last 3 here.
Juventus have won 15 of their 17 games played in all competitions in the 2018/19 season and they have recovered from the defeat to Manchester United by winning back to back League games. They have now won 9 of their last 11 home games in all competitions, but it should be noted the 2 failures to win this season have both come in games played at the Juventus Stadium.
Emre Can, Sami Khedira and Federico Bernardeschi are all expected to miss out.
Valencia
It had been a difficult time for Valencia through the first couple of months of the season as they struggled to turn draws into wins and that has put them in an awkward position in this Champions League Group. So far they are the only team who have failed to beat Young Boys in this Group and that result coupled with Manchester United's surprise win over Juventus means there are no room for errors for the Spanish club.
They come into Match Day 5 in 3rd place in this Group and Valencia are 2 points behind Manchester United who are strong favourites to beat Young Boys at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening. That means Valencia will likely have to win in Juventus to have a chance to overtake one of the top two teams in the Group on Match Day 6. The side have won 1 of their last 6 away European games and Valencia have had to settle for draws at Manchester United and Young Boys.
Valencia have only lost 1 of their last 13 games in all competitions since going down to a 0-2 home defeat to Juventus in this Champions League Group. Some momentum has been built up with 4 wins from their last 5 games and Valencia have won 3 in a row heading into this one. Valencia are unbeaten in 8 away games in all competitions and they have won back to back games on their travels.
Denis Cheryshev is a doubt for this trip to Turin.
Head to Head
Juventus played with ten men for much of the first game against Valencia but still managed to secure a 0-2 win in Spain.
This is the first time Juventus will have hosted Valencia in a competitive fixture.
Prediction
The pressure has shifted to Valencia after seeing their main rivals for a place in the Last 16 win in Turin earlier this month.
The Manchester United come from behind win over Juventus means they are 2 points clear of Valencia and with a winnable home game to come on Match Day 5. It simply adds up to Valencia needing to head to Turin and most likely win if they are going to remain alive on Match Day 6 for a place in the Last 16 of the Champions League.
Valencia have only won 1 of their last 6 away games in European competition and they are facing a Juventus team who will be looking to return this Stadium into the fortress it had been in European Football. Some of the aura has been lost during a run of 1 win from 5 home Champions League games and Juventus have lost 2 of their last 3 here, but fans will recognise the unfortunate manner of the loss to Manchester United.
A similar performance will make Juventus very difficult to beat and they look to be a little healthier in forward areas going into Match Day 5 as they look to maintain control of this Group. The 1-2 home loss to Manchester United does mean the head to head has been lost to the Premier League club so Juventus can't really afford a slip if Manchester United are somehow able to win their last 2 Champions League games.
Juventus have been very strong at home with 9 wins from their last 11 games here in all competitions. The situation should be one that works to their advantage with Valencia likely having to take chances at some point as they chase the win they are more likely going to need to have a chance to make the Last 16 of the Champions League.
That should mean spaces open up for a Juventus team who are looking to win the Group and I will back the Italian Champions to win well on Tuesday.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Juventus 2-0 Valencia
