Juventus and Ajax meet in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw in Holland, as Cristiano Ronaldo put a header in net just before halftime to get a crucial road goal, and then David Neres delivered the equalizer right after the intermission. Now the tie moves to Turin, as both teams look to advance to the semifinals. Ajax is already living a Cinderella story, while Juventus is looking to overcome the pressure of dealing with an underdog. Juventus rested Ronaldo in their Serie A action this weekend, looking ahead to Tuesday’s match. A scoreless draw would send Juventus through on the basis of their road goal, as would any Juventus win. A draw at 2-2 or higher would send Ajax through on the basis of their road goals, as would an Ajax win. We have your sports betting preview of this tilt involving soccer’s elite clubs right here.
Juventus vs Ajax Champions League Lines & Preview
🎙 Allegri: “The result of the first leg doesn’t count for anything. It’s a one-off game and we need to play with the same attitude as we did against Atletico. We need to have a lot of respect for Ajax in defence and precise in our movements.”#GETREADY #UCL #JuveAjax
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) 15 de abril de 2019
- When: Tuesday, April 16, 2019, 3:00pm ET
- Where: Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy
- TV: Galavision
- Radio: None
- Live Stream: fubo.tv
- Opening Soccer Odds: Juventus -160 / Draw +301 / Ajax +415
Why should you bet on Juventus?
Juventus has not lost in any of their last nine matches with Ajax, a streak that dates all the way back to 1973, when Ajax won the European Cup in Belgrade. Their last meeting before this year’s Champions League came in the Europa League in 2010, when Juventus won a two-leg tie, advancing 2-1. Despite their recent woes on the pitch, it’s hard to see Juventus not having the hunger to expunge some Champions League frustration when Ajax comes to town.
The biggest reason to put your money on Juventus is Ronaldo. As he has shown in match after match, he has a penchant for making the crucial play at the crucial time and bringing the win home, whether it is for the Portuguese national team or for the clubs he has paid for. Juventus made an immense investment in Ronaldo to bring him to town, and that investment should pay off. Also, Juventus has the experience advantage as far as taking on elite clubs from across Europe in tournaments such as this one.
Why should you put your money on Ajax?
Juventus has a number of injury issues heading into this match, some of which also contributed to their loss to SPAL in Serie A play over the weekend. Giorgio Chiellini, Martin Caceres, Emre CAn and Douglas Costa. Blaise Matuidi also limped off during the first leg and remains questionable. Hassane Bande and Carel Eiting are the only injuries for Ajax, and they do not contribute much in terms of playing time.
There is also the question of recent form. Juventus has taken losses in two of their five Serie A matches, and neither of those two opponents represented much in the way of quality. Also, Juventus did not look particularly solid in the first leg. Ajax had several other scoring chances that they did not convert, and Juventus was fortunate to come away with the draw. Ajax took down Excelsior, 6-2, on Saturday, as they continue to close in on the Eredivise title in the NEtherlands. They have scored 19 goals in their last five matches across all competitions, and they have won four of them (with the draw against Juventus the lone exception). Can Ajax snag an early away goal? Things will get awfully interesting should they be able to poke through an early score.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
Yes, Ajax picked up a huge win at Real Madrid in the Round of 16 to make it to the quarterfinals. So they have the experience in this tournament in winning in huge road environments. However, Real Madrid has scuffled at times throughout the season, and Juventus has seen the film of that game. I see Juventus elevating their game and advancing to the semifinals by a score of Juventus 2, Ajax 1.
