Valencia vs Juventus
Whether by design or accident, Cristiano Ronaldo’s first two Serie A goals for Juventus couldn’t be timed any better.
Juventus broke the bank to bring the talismanic Portuguese striker to Turin, not to help them win the Scudetto but to guide them to European success they oh so crave. And in an interesting turn of events, after failing to score in his first three league games, Ronaldo seemingly fired a warning shot and made his presence known…just a few days before the Champions League!
Valencia, Juventus’ first opponents in the group stage, certainly received the message. However, when Ronaldo is at his best, there’s little that they can do to stop him.
Talking Points
As Ronaldo said it, the Champions League is his “favourite tournament.” And while that sounds ominous for their rivals, Juve fans are surely happy to hear that from the star striker, whom they hope will lead them to the promised land.
Ronaldo has already proven what he can do in this tournament. After all, he has won it five times throughout his career, including the last three editions with Real Madrid.
The 33-year-old striker knows how to do his job too. He is the competition’s all-time top-scorer with 120 goals in 153 appearances. In fact, he top-scored the tournament last season with 15 goals, five ahead of the Liverpool trio that scored 10 each.
While there were initial concerns after he struggled to settle at Italy, Ronaldo showed against Sassuolo that he is still the man he used to be: one who can score when it matters.
With the Bianconeri having a hard time breaking down the opposing defence, Ronaldo stepped up and bagged a brace in a span of 15 second-half minutes to spark the club to victory and keep their winning streak alive.
After such performance and given his history in Europe’s top club competition, expectations are high that he will be able to extend that scoring run and grab the Champions League 2018 highlights and headlines.
Fortunately for Ronaldo and Juventus, they will be up against a struggling Valencia side whose start to their domestic campaign couldn’t get any worse. The team is yet to win after four La Liga matches, drawing three and losing once.
Sure enough, they have the likes of Rodrigo, Santi Mina, Kevin Gameiro and Michy Batshuayi who can lead the frontline. They even have Russian World Cup hero Denis Cheryshev who can make the difference for them with the right opportunity.
However, the club has failed to utilise the talent they have and are currently 17th in the La Liga standings.
To make matters worse for the hosts, Ronaldo has a brilliant record against them. When he was still with Real Madrid, the Portugal international scored a total of 15 goals in 18 meetings (in all competitions) with Los Che.
It hasn’t been more than a year since Ronaldo last faced Valencia as well, and the team will certainly want to forget that contest as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner hit a brace against them back then.
History
This match will be the first meeting between the two sides, but Juventus aren’t new to playing a Spanish team. Valencia will be the eighth Spanish side that the Old Lady have faced—a list that includes Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla.
Juve don’t have a good record against Spanish teams, but it should be noted that they beat Los Blancos in the second leg of their quarter-final tie in the 2017/18 Champions League. For what it’s worth, it was Ronaldo’s spot kick in the 1-3 defeat at the Bernabeu that gave Madrid a 4-3 aggregate win.
Juventus, nonetheless, have been regular fixtures in the Champions League since the turn of the century. They have only failed to qualify for the UCL on three occasions since 2000, in 2006/07, 2010/11 (Europa League) and 2011/12.
Valencia, on the other hand, last played in the event in 2015/16. Moreover, they last reached the knockout rounds in 2012/13.
It’s worth noting, though, that they made it to the UCL final in two consecutive seasons in 2000 and 2001.
Betting Tip
 |
 |
Valencia vs Juventus | Juventus 1X2 @ 1.87 |
| September 20, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
Juventus are well ahead according to the Champions League 2018 odds, and I couldn’t argue with that. While the figures at SBOBET do not give much separation between the two as most would have expected, Juventus are still a cut above Valencia.
Max Allegri’s charges have quality in all areas. Besides Ronaldo, Juve also boast the likes of Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro, Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Giorgio Chiellini, Douglas Costa and Mario Mandzukic. Valencia, as what their recent games proved, don’t have that depth.
I think Valencia can keep it close should Marcelino opt for a more defensive approach, but I doubt Juventus will lose. Not in the opener, anyway.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
|
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
