Juventus vs. Manchester City Prediction, Odds, and Best Bets for Champions League Week 6

Manchester City is in the midst of their worst slump during the Pep Guardiola era. They won only one of their last eight games in all competitions, losing five. This pushed them all the way down to fourth-place in the Premier League and 17th in the Champions League.

With eight points in five games in the Champions League, Man City is running out of time to make sure they finish in the top eight to earn a first-round bye. With back-to-back tough road games against Juventus and PSG coming up, this may be the make-or-break stretch of the season for Guardiola’s side.

Juventus hasn’t been particularly spectacular this season but they have been very hard to beat. In fact, in 20 games across all competitions this season, they only have one loss; to Stuttgart on a last-minute goal after a second-half red card. They have only conceded 15 goals in these games, demonstrating their solid defense under new head coach Thiago Motta.

They are on the same boat as Manchester City heading into Week 6. They have eight points in five games and can’t afford to lose on Wednesday if they want to have a chance at the top eight. Fortunately, their last two games of the league stage are against Club Brugge and Benfica, giving them an excellent opportunity to go on a winning streak.

Manchester City has a five-game winless streak over Juventus, tied for their longest against any opponent in European competitions. However, the two sides haven’t met since Guardiola took over in 2016. Considering how the Spanish manager has turned his attention to the Champions League after falling far behind in the standings domestically, Man City will treat this fixture as a must-win. Whether they will be able to do so remains to be seen.

Juventus vs. Manchester City Odds and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Moneyline:

Juventus: +295
Draw: +255
Man City: -105

Total Goals:

Over 2.5: -105
Under 2.5: -120

Both Teams to Score:

Yes: -125
No: +100

Double Chance:

Man City or Draw: -400
Draw or Juventus: -120
Man City or Juventus: -340

Juventus vs. Manchester City How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Time: 03:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy
How to Watch (TV): Paramount+, CBS Sports

Juventus vs. Manchester City Prediction and Pick

Man City has never looked more discombobulated during the Pep Guardiola era. They are a team with no identity that looks more vulnerable than ever defensively. In their last five games, they have conceded 11 goals. Clean sheets are hard to come by even against weaker opponents like Crystal Palace or Feyenoord.

Guardiola is desperately waiting for the winter transfer window so that he can bring in reinforcements. The most important addition will certainly be Rodri’s replacement. The team hasn’t been able to control the tempo without their defensive midfielder and looked too soft in his absence. Uncharacteristically, they have struggled in dominating possession without Rodri’s presence.

It is hard to see them figuring things out on a short week that has them traveling from London to Turin. Guardiola is pressing all the buttons on the controller to find a solution to his problems, including deploying Jack Grealish as a central midfielder, benching Ederson, relying more on Matheus Nunes, and using Rico Lewis at left back. None of these moves has been the panacea so far, so expect him to continue experimenting in the starting lineup.

Juventus, on the other hand, is in year one of a multi-year developmental project under talented manager Thiago Motta. They are the sixth-youngest team in the Champions League and rely extensively on their talented youngsters like Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceição.

Considering that they are presumably more concerned about winning the Serie A than advancing in the Champions League this season, Juventus is essentially playing with house money. This is their biggest test to date this season.

Similar to Man City, the Turin side likes to control possession. They average over 60% possession in the Serie A. Once they take the lead, they make it very difficult on their opponent to create chances. They allowed the fewest goals and Expected Goals (xgA) in Italy this season.

Manchester City will likely find it difficult to find too many goal scoring opportunities. A low-scoring affair awaits us but Juventus’ dynamic attackers like Yildiz, Conceição, and Tim Weah, as well as their best goal scorer Dusan Vlahovic, who just returned from an injury, can exploit City’s defensive deficiencies.

Picking Juventus to not lose may be the smartest bet.

Pick: Draw or Juventus -120

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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