Atletico Madrid vs Juventus Predictions

Can La Liga’s early leaders produce a surprise when they meet Juventus on Wednesday? Atletico Madrid are narrowly ahead of the rest domestically, but they switch their focus to European matters this week. Following the humbling turnaround Atletico suffered against Juve last term, it does appear that the tables have turned on the Old Lady of Italian football.

A goal difference of +1 isn’t doing them any favours, but Atletico Madrid are leading the way in Spain after just four matches. The hosts are trying to reinvent themselves after a tough season in the transfer window which forced a major overhaul to their approach moving forward. However, the Champions League remains the objective, so can Diego Simeone’s side set out their case to win the tournament with a victory over Juve?

The Italian champions are making their move for the Champions League this year. Maurizio Sarri has been brought in to give them more control in possession and a little extra in attack, which could make the difference in Europe. The visitors made this competition their goal with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, while the forward proved his worth with a hat-trick against Atletico last term.

The Spanish side were beaten 3-2 on aggregate against Juve in last season’s first knockout round. They won 2-0 at home before Ronaldo’s Turin hat-trick settled the tie. That was another poor result on the road for Atletico in Europe, as they failed to win on their travels in this competition following their opening trip to Monaco.

However, Atletico were fantastic in their home games, as they were nearly perfect throughout the competition at the Wanda. They won all four games, meaning that they now have a five-game winning streak. The only slight blemish in their home form was the single goal they conceded to Club Brugge in the group stage. Since, they’ve won three games to nil, seeing off Dortmund and Juve in that time.

We think that Atleti have done enough over recent home games to warrant being favourites here. They have the record behind them to trouble Juve, especially after their visitors failed to win their last three trips in this competition. Given the hosts’ form, we’re backing Atletico to win this tie.

With Atletico racking up a run of clean sheets, we don’t see Juve scoring. The Italian giants have scored once across two away trips in Serie A so far this term. Given that form, we’re backing Atletico to win 2-0 on Wednesday.