Young Boys vs Juventus Predictions

With one game to go, Juventus still haven’t quite done enough. They need to secure top spot, with Manchester United just two points behind them. The Italian giants will want to see out this group and secure first place, so they need to come away from their clash with Young Boys with three points here. They’ve been excellent in Europe so far, and as one of the favourites to win the competition, they’ll want to secure a potentially easier last 16 draw by finishing up ahead of the Red Devils.

Juventus were cruising through this group until Man United’s late comeback in Turin. A 2-1 win at the Italian champions has given them the head to head edge, meaning Juve have to focus for one last European game in 2018. They are fresh from a huge weekend win, as they edged out Inter 1-0 in the Derby d’Italia. That’s boosted their hopes of retaining the Serie A title, but their eyes are fixed on stepping up their game in Europe – landing the European Cup for the first time in 23 years.

The visitors are about to bow out of Europe for the season, with four defeats from five matches. They were soundly beaten by Juve last time they met, with the Old Lady winning 3-0 in Turin. The hosts are racing clear in their domestic league, with 46 points from 17 games, giving them a 19 point lead at the half-way point. There’s little doubt that they’re going to retain the title, but they’re unlikely to get anything out of this game.

Juventus can’t afford to take their eye off the ball here, but they’ve been given a kind fixture which allows them to secure first place. The visitors are heavy favourites to pile on to the hosts’ misery, and we have little faith in Young Boys making an impression when they host the Italians. This should be a straightforward win for Juve, making it six wins in a row.

So far, Juve have kept a clean sheet in their four group stage wins. They’ve got an excellent defensive record in Europe of late. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has seen his side return a clean sheet in 46% of his Champions League games (37/81) – only Diego Simeone (54%) and Fabio Capello (48%) have a better rate (50+ games). Given that Young Boys have the worst shot conversion rate of any side in the Champions League this season (3.1), we are backing Juventus to win to nil here.