Real Madrid seem to be saving their best soccer for the Champions League as they rolled over Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. The two-time defending champions will kick off the quarterfinals at Juventus, who lost to Real Madrid in last year’s final and after their comeback at Tottenham in the last round, they’ll be ready to go on April 3rd.
What To Know About Juventus
Juventus got goals from Gonzalo Higuain in the 64th minute and Paulo Dybala three minutes later to score a 2-1 win at Tottenham, which put them through on a 4-3 aggregate. Juventus gave up the first goal of the game, but they battled back to get a big win and make it through to the next stage. Higuain’s five goals leads the team in the Champions League, while Mario Mandzukic is next with two. Those two, along with Dybala, make up a very potent strike force, while Gianluigi Buffon is still a very good keeper. There are some questions for Juventus to answer, however. Their defense isn’t as solid as it used to be as they were pulled all over the place by Tottenham and their midfield can be overtaken. Still, Juventus showed a great fighting spirit at Tottenham and they have a lot of experience to use in the next round.
What To Know About Real Madrid
Real Madrid won 2-1 at Paris Saint-Germain thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemire, and they went through to the quarterfinals on a 5-2 aggregate score. It was a very professional performance from the champions over two legs and even though they won in the second leg without Neymar in the lineup from PSG, they kept him quiet enough in the first leg that you could say he wouldn’t have made a difference. Ronaldo has 12 goals to lead all players in the Champions League and even he hasn’t been great in La Liga, Ronaldo definitely knows how to get up for the Champions League. He still needs a little help as Karim Benzema is up and down, but Real Madrid has an excellent midfield and their defense has been great in this competition.
Outlook
The odds for this game are close as Real Madrid are favored away from home at 2.60, while Juventus comes in at 2.70 and a draw is rated at 3.25. These two have met 19 times in the Champions League, including five times since October 2013. Real Madrid won 2-1 at home in the 2013-14 group stages, and then drew 2-2 at Juventus. The Italians then knocked Real Madrid in the semifinals in the following season with a 2-1 home win and then they drew 1-1 in Spain. However, Real Madrid got their revenge with a 4-1 win in last season’s final. These two teams know each other very well and it is going to be interesting to see how they match up. Real Madrid’s midfield might give them a slight edge and Casemiro is very good at shielding the defense. The major question will be if Juventus’ defense can keep track of Ronaldo.
Champions League Betting Pick: Juventus
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