Juventus went all the way to the Champions League final last year, but they face an uphill battle to get out of the Round of 16 this time around as they face mighty Bayern Munich. The German giants are -380 favorites to go through to the quarterfinals for the seventh time in eight years. The Italian champions, though, are in outstanding form and will have crucial home-field advantage for the first leg.
Read on below for a complete preview of this titanic Round of 16 matchup between two European heavyweights. And for more top Champions League action, check out our preview of Arsenal vs. Barcelona.
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Juventus vs. Bayern Munich Preview
Where: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy
When: Tuesday, February 23, 2:45 PM ET
Line: Juventus +205 vs. Bayern Munich +125, tie +196; total 2.0 – view all UEFA Champions League lines
Betting on Juventus
Juventus had a relatively straightforward run to the Round of 16. Last year’s losing finalists lost just once in six Group D games (3-2-1), but that one loss away to Sevilla cost them the top spot in the group. Their penalty for that loss: a date with Bayern Munich.
However, the Italian champions should be brimming with confidence heading into the first leg. After a somewhat turbulent first few months of the season, Juve have gone on an incredible 15-game winning run to reclaim the lead in Serie A.
The Juventus Stadium has been an absolute fortress this season. Juve have lost just once on home turf in 15 total Serie A and Champions League games, and have conceded only six goals. Speaking of defense, Juve’s remarkable backline has allowed a solitary goal in their first 10 games in all competitions this calendar year.
Meanwhile, the attack is as dynamic as ever with the emergence of Paulo Dybala. The young Argentine has yet to get on the scoresheet in the Champions League, but does have a team-high 13 goals and eight assists to his name. He’ll have a very good chance of finally getting that elusive goal against a Bayern central defense that will be missing some key personnel.
Alvaro Morata and midfield dynamo Paul Pogba will offer a lot of quality in support to Dybala, while former Bayern striker Mario Mandzukic (six goals this season) is racing to be fit to face his old team.
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Betting on Bayern Munich
It’s official: Pep Guardiola’s days at Bayern Munich are numbered. The great manager, who’s off to Manchester City next season, has won just about everything there is to win in his time with Bayern… except the Champions League. With the Bundesliga very much in their control, expect the Germans to make the Champions League their utmost priority from here on out.
Bayern basically steamrolled their way past Group F as they won five of six games with 19 goals scored and just three conceded. However, they did seem pretty mortal outside the Allianz Arena. They scored just five times away from home, and lost their only game away to Arsenal.
Guardiola-led teams have famously struggled away from home in the Champions League, winning just four of 16 away games, with seven draws and five defeats. Last season, Bayern failed to win in all three away legs in the knockout phase, including losses to Porto (3-1) and eventual champions Barcelona (3-0).
Bayern also have some pretty pressing problems at the back. Their injury crisis at centerback has gotten so bad that Guardiola had to play a back four composed entirely of fullbacks in their league game against Augsburg.
But even with those things going against them, Bayern is always a good bet to get a positive result. It certainly helps that they have an outstanding strike force in Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller (12 goals combined in the competition) – not to mention Arjen Robben and Douglas Costa on the wings – that can get them goals at the drop of a hat.
Writer’s Prediction
Bayern’s elite ball retention makes up for their injuries in defense, but Juve’s defense also holds firm. The first leg ends in a 0-0 draw (+196).
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