Valencia vs Juventus Predictions

Will this be the season when Juventus finally crack the Champions League? The Italian giants have spent big to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Turin. Having invested in the man who has been the top scorer in this competition six years in a row, they’re clearly looking for results. The Portuguese international has four winners medals since 2014, and another one with Juve would be a massive statement by the current Ballon d’Or. He returns to Spain after parting ways with Real Madrid, this time meeting Valencia.

The hosts are back in the Champions League after some impressive results last term. They may have finished up fourth, but that booked a spot in this season’s Champions League, something which has improved Valencia, as they’ve used that money to fund some summer deals. Despite that, the club have made a slow start in La Liga this term. Their hopes of matching Juventus and Man United in this group seem slim, following a run of four games without a victory.

Juventus are the top seeds in Group H, and they’re expected to top it ahead of Jose Mourinho’s Man United. The Italians have stormed Serie A in the opening weeks, with four wins from four putting them clear at the top. They’re pushing for a fifth straight league and cup double, while they’re aiming to match their Champions League final runs of 2015 and 2017. Will the addition of Ronaldo help them to glory in this competition?

The forward did hit his first and second goals in Turin at the weekend, scoring both in a 2-1 win over Sassuolo. The forward finally is up and running, and now he’ll be out to extend that run this week. Ronaldo is the top scorer in Champions League history, netting 120 goals in 153 total appearances in the competition. The Portuguese forward was directly involved in exactly 50% of Real Madrid’s goals in the Champions League from 2009/10 to 2017/18 (105 goals, 27 assists). To make matters worse for the hosts, he’s scored 15 times in 17 meetings with Valencia, including five goals in his last four meetings with them. With that in mind, we’re tipping him to score anytime here.

We think Ronaldo will fire Juve to another win this weekend. Their perfect start in Serie A contrasts with a Valencia side who are struggling in La Liga. On top of that, Juve claimed away wins at Tottenham and Real Madrid in Europe last season, and they should add to that run on Wednesday. We’re backing a Juventus win here, and a 2-0 victory for the Italians.