Juventus vs Bayern Munich
There’s another ICC treat on the way at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, as Max Allegri’s Juventus takes on Bayern, already on the march with their new coach Niko Kovac.
Games don’t come much bigger than Juventus vs Bayern Munich. The long reigning champions of Serie A and the Bundesliga are preparing to take on all-comers in their domestic leagues again, and are sure to be a force in the Champions League in 2019.
So it’s an opportunity for fans in the US to see two of the greats in action, Juventus for the first time this summer, while Kovac already has a win under his belt and he looks determined to make it two.
Talking points
Okay; these are pre-season games but Max Allegri will be keen to stop Kovac from gaining too much early momentum. Winning is a habit as they both know.
But Juve’s big summer signing, Cristiano Ronaldo, won’t be playing, still recovering from his World Cup exploits, as will be many of the players returning from Russia. But that won’t stop fans from flocking to Philadelphia to see the Italian champions against their German counterparts, still with some big names on show.
All eyes will be on Juventus’ last line of defence after the departure of legend Gianluigi Buffon who has headed for a new challenge in Ligue 1 after a glittering 17 year career in Turin. New goalkeeper Mattia Perin will try to stake his claim to step into the great man’s shoes, after he signed a four-year contract this summer on his arrival from Genoa.
In front of Perin we could see defensive midfielder Emre Can following his arrival from Liverpool, where he enjoyed an impressive spell in the Premier League. He began life as a full-back for the Reds but his versatility saw him return to his preferred midfield position, scoring ten goals in his time at Anfield. He started his career at Bayern so will be looking forward to this one.
The absence of Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic will give former Fiorentina man Federico Bernardeschi a chance to impress Allegri and the Juve fans.
Bayern have already made a superb start to this year’s ICC Cup beating PSG 3-1 in their opener where former Juve great Buffon featured for PSG. What a strange sight that must have been for Bianconeri fans. Flying winger Arjen Robben was on show and instrumental in Bayern’s first goal, teeing up the evergreen Javi Martinez. But it was 20-year-old Renato Sanches who caught the eye with a beautiful curling free-kick.
This is a big season for Sanches, after he impressed so much at Euro 16, the attacking midfielder’s career has stuttered somewhat. He went out on loan to Swansea City last season but saw just how tough the Premier League can be, making just 12 appearances in a side which was ultimately relegated.
New coach Niko Kovac thinks he can see Sanches ‘unfreezing’, and if he rediscovers the sparkle in his boots this boy’s career could take off again. He plays the style of free, attacking football that gets fans on their feet and he’ll surely be there again in the Juventus vs Bayern Munich highlights. He probably wasn’t ready for a relegation scrap in the rain, but he has time on his side.
History
Recent history tells a tale of domestic domination for both teams, the Bianconeri aiming for an eighth successive Scudetto this season, while Bayern have won the last six Bundesligas. That is a competition which could go on for some time unless, say, Napoli or Borussia Dortmund can break the dominance.
But when it comes to the last few match-ups between Juve and Bayern, it’s been a little one sided, the German side winning four and drawing one of the last five meetings, scoring 14 goals to five in the process.
Looking further back, Juventus have won three of the ten meetings overall, so I guess it’s about time for Max Allegri’s men to shift the momentum back their way.
What are the odds?
This is a tricky one to call and the Juventus vs FC Bayern betting odds say we have all three results in play, with FC Bayern the slight favourites at 2.28; Juventus is at 2.87 and the draw at 3.40.
For handicap betting options, the Bianconeris are available with Sbobet odds at 2.20 Draw no Bet, with Bayern at 2.04 with a -0.25 goal handicap. That may be simply a measure of the Bundesliga champions already having a game under their belt, so let’s see how quickly Juventus comes out of the blocks.
The most likely result is a 1-1 draw at 6.00 and with 2-3 goals at 1.90, who knows…that could well be the sweet spot.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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