UEFA Champions League Odds & Preview: Tottenham vs Juventus

Tottenham and Juventus open up their Champions League round of 16 in Turin. This marks a highlight for both teams, as Tottenham has underwhelmed with their play in the Premier League this year, and Juventus is well behind Napoli in the Serie A league. Tottenham rides the momentum of a big derby win over Arsenal, with Harry Kane delivering the header that brought home the win. They face an ironclad defense in Juventus, though, as the home side has only permitted a single goal over their last 16 matches overall. Can Harry Kane deliver enough offense for Tottenham to win? He has scored six times in five Champions League games in this season. Can Juventus win without Paulo Dybala, who has scored 17 goals in Serie A play? Check out our Champions League odds preview of this soccer matchup.

UEFA Champions League Odds & Preview: Tottenham vs Juventus

Federico Bernardeschi + Gonzalo Higuaín = ⚽⚽#UCL pic.twitter.com/ODRFrLmC7S

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 12, 2018

When: Tuesday, February 13, 2018, 2:45pm ET Where: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy TV: None Radio: None Live Stream: Live Soccer TV Champions League Odds: Juventus -0.5 (+100)

Why should you bet on Tottenham?

The answer to this question is all about what Harry Kane can do. He has scored 34 goals this season in all of the team’s games. He will be marked by Giorgio Chiellini, whose job it will be to keep Tottenham off the board. Kane is not only speedy but also has a stubborn style of play, always lurking at the edges of the area to find a cross at just the right time. The huge header he put in to stun Arsenal in EPL play last week should give him the confidence and momentum he will need to find the back of the net against one of Europe’s premier defenses. Ever since Mauricio Pochettino took over the manager’s job at Tottenham, the team’s prospects have turned around for the better. They won’t be able to make up the immense gap that keeps them from the top of the EPL table, but they do come in with better attention to detail on both ends of the pitch. Tottenham does not have anyone of importance out with injury. Serge Aurier, Victor Wanyama and Danny Rose could find their way into the XI for this game. Also, keep an eye out for Mousa Dembele, who took man of the match against Arsenal thanks to his control of the midfield.

Why should you put your money on Juventus?

Juventus will lean heavily on Gonzalo Higuain and their ironclad defense. Missing Dybala will hurt, as he has basically comprised the vast majority of their offense through Serie A play this year. The fact that so few others have been able to score is one reason why Juventus is not leading the league despite having such gaudy numbers on defense. To counter Dombele, Juventus has a trio of midfielders in Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedra and Claudio Marchisio, all of whom are skilled at controlling the area and turning mistakes back in the other direction in a hurry. Dombele had a pass success rate of 97% against Arsenal and would need similar success for the team to beat Juventus. Juventus comes into this game with seven consecutive wins across all competitions — all of them with clean sheets. However, they will be missing Blaise Matuidi, Benedikt Howedes and Juan Cuadrado in addition to Dybala.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Tottenham has a solid record when they’re playing against the top competition. They did deliver a big win against Manchester United and an impressive draw at Liverpool. Can they bring that “A” game to Turin? Harry Kane has scored six Champions League goals, averaging a tally every 70 minutes. Can he turn that into a goal here? I think that Tottenham will find the back of the goal — but I also think that Juventus will find at least one mistake that they can turn to their own advantage. Final Score Prediction: Juventus 2, Tottenham 1