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- Juventus have their work cut out if they are to advance from the knockout stages with a tricky two-legged playoff against Galatasaray.
- The sides meet at 12:45 pm ET on Tuesday in their first leg followed by the second leg next Wednesday
- Check out the odds to advance and my picks for this Champions League playoff tie
Remarkably, it is 30 years since Italian giants Juventus last won the UEFA Champions League, and if this season’s form is anything to go by, they do not seem likely end that streak. They are currently +8250 longshots in the Champions League title odds, just 15th-best of the 24 remaining teams, as they get set for a two-leg, knockout-stage tie against Galatasaray.
The Turin outfit currently sits fourth in Serie A, some 15 points behind last year’s Champions League-finalists Inter Milan, while Galatasaray are leading the way in Turkey as they chase yet another league title.
Below, I look at Galatasaray vs Juventus odds to advance, as well as giving my picks and rationale for my choices.
Juventus v Galatasaray Odds to Advance
Juventus is a heavy -350 favorite to advance, with Galatasaray coming back as a +250 underdog. The winner of the total-goals knockout stage tie will advance to the round of 16.
Odds as of 11:23 am ET, February 15th, at bet365. Check out SBD’s list of best betting sites.
Juventus v Galatasaray Pick: Galatasaray to Advance (+250 at bet365)
Why Galatasaray Will Advance
The Turkish League may not be of the same quality as Serie A, but Galatasaray are in red-hot form coming into this tie. With just one league defeat all season, they will be riding high on confidence coming into this and back themselves to upset the odds.
Home Game First
It may be a cliché, but going to play Galatasaray away is legitimately tough. Although the last time these two met in Europe was 13 years ago, Juventus lost in Turkey on that occasion and lost back in 2003. Yes, a fixture 23 years ago will have no bearing on Tuesday’s game, but the trend of travelling to a hostile Rams Park is still true.
And if Galatasaray can win the opening leg, expect them to travel to Turin and make it a scrap fest to hold onto their lead.
No Vintage Juventus
Far from the European superpower of yesteryear, Juventus are not serious title contenders according to bookmaker odds. They will be scrapping it out with Roma, Como, and Napoli for European Football next season, and their recent form can be described as patchy at best.
Turkish international Kenan Yıldız is their top scorer with eight league goals, but with just one goal in eight appearances in Europe and with Juventus not exactly prolific in Europe, it could make for an interesting match-up.
Stingy Galatasaray
Galatasaray can be regarded as economical, in the nicest sense of the world. The Turkish club scored just nine goals in their eight group stage games to get to this stage and shipped just 11 goals in that time. Only a handful of serious contenders have conceded less, and with Juventus not exactly lighting it up in front of goal, they will be hard to break down.
Super Victor Osimhen
It is pretty egregious that a talent like Victor Osimhen is not playing with a true Champions League contender while in the prime of his career. Looking like a real Ballon d’Or contender a couple of seasons ago, he is unlikely to ever scale those heights with Galatasaray. However, he has not taken a backwards step at the club and scored six of their nine group stage goals and trails only Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot. He will cause Juventus plenty of headaches over the two legs.
Good Price
Juventus are the favourites and deservingly so. They play in a better league, they have more money and a better squad. However, at +250, along with the factors mentioned, Galatasaray could be a good value bet to pull a surprise.
The likelihood is that Juventus will come out on top over the two ties, but at +250 and with enough trends pointing Galatasaray’s way, it is a good value bet for an upset to advance.
