Italian football is relying on Juventus to do the business

Date: 17th March 2017 at 3:42pm
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Juventus are on course to cruise to a sixth consecutive Serie A title after opening up another comfortable lead in a league they have dominated in recent times.

Maybe if Inter and AC Milan really splash the cash in the summer they might have some decent opposition but right now their closest contenders – Roma and Napoli – are streets behind. Juventus’ heavy lead in the title race allows them to really focus on other competitions, and they could be in for a treble.

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After beating Napoli 3-1 in the first leg of Coppa Italia, they were made overwhelming favourites to win it, especially after Roma were beaten 2-0 by city rivals Lazio.

You would fancy Juventus to beat Lazio easily in the final, and they are now odds-on favourites to win the cup as well as the league, a BetDSI sportsbook review and a trawl through other online betting sites has revealed. In fact, they are so likely to win both that you wouldn’t even double your money if you bet on a league and cup double for Juventus. That’s how easy they have it domestically right now.

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The real test of their abilities then will come in the Champions League. They look a certainty to reach the quarter-finals after coming away from Porto with a 2-0 lead after playing against 10 men for much of their first leg encounter in the last 16.

Juve have even climbed up to fourth favourites for the Champions League. Their best finish in recent years was ending as runners-up two seasons ago after losing out to the mighty Barcelona, but they really could go one better this time around.

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The 11/4 favourites are Bayern Munich, who beat Arsenal 10-2 on aggregate, followed by Barca who squeaked past PSG and Real Madrid, who are 9/2. Then comes Juventus and Atletico Madrid, both 7/1, before Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and Leicester.

Right now it looks like the winner will come from the first five favourites. Dortmund are a good outside bet, while the teams below them in the betting odds order are not really good enough.

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Real Madrid won it last season and will be a massive threat, but history is not on their side as no team has ever successfully defended the Champions League. They are also fighting tooth and nail with Barca for La Liga and will be desperate to gain a first title in years, so they may be exhausted and distracted.

If you rule those two out, it leaves Bayern and Atletico. Bayern did not top their group as they were beaten by Atletico, a team of similar ability and approach to Juventus. They have shown themselves to be fallible in the Bundesliga too this season.

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They are a great team but Juventus can go toe-to-toe with them. Atletico are off the pace in the Spanish league and can really go for it in Europe. They know how to win in this competition, having twice been to the final in the last three years, only to lose to city rivals Real both times. They seem to buckle under the pressure at the final hurdle, so Juve could come out on top against them too.

The competition is ferocious, but if Juventus can snatch the Champions League it would do wonders for the credibility of Italian football, more top players might move to Italy and Serie A could get a lot more interesting and competitive.

 

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