Juventus vs Barcelona Betting Preview

Kick-off: Tuesday, April 11 @7:45 PM GMT

Venue: Juventus Stadium (Turin)

Head to head record

Juventus vs Barcelona 1-3 (2014/2015 Champions League)
Barcelona vs Juventus 1-2 (2002/2003 Champions League)
Juventus vs Barcelona 1-1 (2002/2003 Champions League)

Juventus vs Barcelona prediction

Having survived Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, Barcelona will be looking to give their fans yet another reason for celebration when they face Serie A giants Juventus in the two-legged tie.

Bianconeri hungry for revenge

Juventus are on the right track to win yet another Serie A trophy as they are leading the chase for Scudetto after 31 rounds. The Bianconeri are undisputedly the dominant force in Italian football, but they are eager to go all the way in the Champions League as well. Juve set up a meeting with Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the elite competition by beating Porto in the two-legged tie, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry in the double-header against Leo Messi and Co. Max Allegri’s men have turned their Juventus Stadium into a real fortress and that is the main reason why I believe the hosts are capable of grabbing something from the first leg. Juventus were beaten by Barcelona in the 2014/2015 Champions League final and, no doubt, the Italian champions are hungry for revenge. Gonzalo Higuain has netted 27 goals in all competitions this season and the former Napoli attacker is widely expected to lead the line for the hosts against Barca.

Mario Manzdukic has overcome his injury, but he is likely to start from the bench. Marko Pjaca is definitely out of contention, but there are no suspended players in the home team.

Barca showed character against PSG

Against all odds, Barcelona managed to overcome a four-goal deficit in the tie against star-studded Paris Saint-Germain. The Catalan titans hammered les Parisiens 6-1 at their Camp Nou, but many people believe that Luis Enrique’s men did not deserve to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. PSG chiefs wrote to UEFA to complain about refereeing mistakes during the clash, but, one thing is for sure, Barcelona will face Juventus in the upcoming two-legged tie. Barca have been scoring goals for fun in the second half of the season, but they head into Tuesday’s showdown following a shocking 2-0 loss to Malaga. Luis Enrique’s charges have slim chances of defending their La Liga trophy and, no doubt, the coach is going to field the best possible side against Juventus in the first leg. Leo Messi is definitely capable of posing a big threat for the opposition defenders and they should have “The Magician” at bay.

Important midfielder Sergio Busquets misses the game through suspension, while Rafinha Alcantara, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal are all sidelined with injury. Coach Luis Enrique should stick to the 4-3-3 formation.

Interesting facts

• Both Juve and Barca scored in each of their previous three meetings
• Juventus are on a 17-game unbeaten run at home in CL
• Barcelona suffered three defeats in last five away games in CL
• Leo Messi has netted 43 goals in all competitions this season
• Juve managed to keep three clean sheets in last four home games in CL

Juventus vs Barcelona betting pick

Seeing that Juventus Stadium will host Tuesday’s clash between the two European giants, a close encounter appears on the cards. It is well known that Juve are tough to beat at home and the Serie A side are likely to adopt a defence-minded approach in the first leg. Barca often struggle on the travels in the Champions League and, taking everything into account, under 2.5 goals bet should be considered.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals

Odds: 4/5