Atletico Madrid vs Juventus 2019 Champions League Odds & Preview

Two of the top defending sides in Europe square off when Juventus visits Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira was just ruled out of the match this morning with an irregular heartbeat and will miss at least a month, leaving the side with a hole to fill, but Juventus did win Group H with a 4-0-2 record, finishing ahead of Manchester United. However, Juventus lost at home to United as well as to Young Boys, the last-place side in the group. Atletico finished as the runner-up behind Borussia Dortmund in Group A thanks to a tiebreaker, as both finished 4-1-1 with 13 points in group play. Juventus will be looking to put up valuable road goals to make winning the aggregate series easier when the tie shifts back to Italy. We have your soccer betting preview for this first leg in the Champions League Round of 16.

Atletico Madrid vs Juventus 2019 Champions League Odds & Preview

Ronaldo returns to Madrid! @Cristiano v Atlético 29 games ⚽️ 22 goals Tonight __________ #UCL pic.twitter.com/PgcOoY8cz9

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) 20 de febrero de 2019

When: Wednesday, February 20, 2019, 3:00pm ET Where: Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid TV: TNT / UniMas Radio: None Live Stream: UEFA.com Soccer Odds: Juventus +175 / Atletico Madrid +175 / Draw +205

Why should you bet on Atletico Madrid?

Atletico Madrid had taken two losses in a row but beat Rayo Vallecano, 1-0, despite being outplayed. This means that their form coming in is not particularly solid. They have only scored twice in their last three matches overall. Koke returns to the midfield for the first time since he went down with a thigh injury back in January. Alvaro Morata, on loan to Atletico from Chelsea (and who formerly played for Juventus) could play as well. Atletico has not lost to Juventus since 1965, in the Fairs Cup, and they are unbeaten in Champions League play under manager Diego Simeone against Italian teams (four wins, two draws) and have conceded just one goal. They have also put up a 12-match home unbeaten streak in the CL knockout rounds (seven wins, five draws). Antoine Griezmann is a man to watch, as he has either scored or assisted a goal in six straight CL games at the Wanda Metropolitano, and he has been directly involved in two-thirds of Atletico’s nine goals in CL play this year.

Why should you put your money on Juventus?

Juventus has scored three goals in three consecutive games and has an additional day of rest as they have not played since Friday. Cristiano Ronaldo scored in that game but came off early so he could rest a bit more ahead of this matchup. Juventus has also posted two straight shutouts, as their opponents have only put three shots on goal in those two matches combined. Having that many choices up front will help Juventus find cracks in the Atletico back line. Juventus has won four of their last five games on the road in the knockout stages of the Champions League, drawing the other one. Paulo Dybala has been hot for Juventus in Champions League play lately, scoring six goals in his last seven CL games — after putting up just five goals in his last 24 games playing with Juventus. Ronaldo has scored just one goal in his last eight CL games after scoring 11 in the eight previous ones, so he seems definitely due. Manager Massimiliano Allegri has nine consecutive seasons reaching the knockout stages in the Champions League, reaching the finals in two of the last four seasons.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Juventus comes in with much better form right now, and even with the loss of a midfielder, their wealth of offensive talent should prove decisive — as long as they can avoid the mistakes that led to that pair of losses in group play. I predict a final score of Juventus 2, Atletico 1.