Juventus vs Monza – Betting Preview
Following an eight-game winning streak without giving up a goal, Juventus entered last Friday’s blockbuster as strong Scudetto contenders. If they left Stadio Maradona with all possible points, they would cut Napoli’s lead at the top of Serie A from seven to four.
But after just 90 minutes, Milan’s southern rivals had demonstrated which of the two sides was best positioned to unseat Milan and win the championship after the Bianconeri’s once-reliable defence was repeatedly breached.
The final score was 5-1, with Angel Di Maria’s goal serving as a form of consolation.
Juventus Preview
Juve have certainly suffered a bitter blow, perhaps even worse than their Champions League group-stage exit, which included a loss to Maccabi Haifa.
Now, staying in the top four is unquestionably the limit of their ambitions after going from their best run in years to their worst loss in any competition in three decades.
The 14-time Coppa Italia champions can find solace in cup competitions rather than starting a Europa League journey against Nantes next month, so they will be especially motivated to overcome their first obstacle on Thursday at home against hotly favoured opponents.
Eight months have passed since Max Allegri’s team lost to Inter in the championship game, and a team that was only recently promoted from Serie B stands in the way of his attempts to salvage some silverware from another difficult season.
Monza Preview
In one of many defeats during his less productive second managerial tenure, Allegri watched his team lose 1-0 at Monza in October, and Di Maria was given the boot just before halftime.
At the time, Monza was in the bottom of the top flight in their inaugural foray into the Italian elite, and former Juve winger Raffaele Palladino had just taken over as caretaker coach.
Following their unlikely victory over the Old Lady, they have improved under Palladino, who is now permanently in charge, from a start of just one point from six games to mid-table security as the season nears its midpoint.
The Biancorossi moved about 12 points clear of danger with their 3-2 victory at last-place Cremonese on Saturday, which is much more what their owners had in mind when they invested in several seasoned Serie A starters after promotion through the playoffs.
Monza enters the match against Juventus in good form after holding Inter and Fiorentina to draws in their previous two games. Their most recent loss came to Cremona only because they let up in the second half after holding a three-goal lead.
1×2 Betting Odds
Given the calibre of their opponents, even with Monza’s improvement and Juve’s setbacks, it will be difficult for the visitors to advance to the quarterfinals.
Even a significantly changed Juve team should be able to neutralise the Biancorossi’s threat and advance to the round of eight given their record of just two victories in nine away games this season!
And the betting market agrees!
Playing at home it is Juventus who are favorites to win against 13th placed Monza! Their market odds stand @ 1.57.
If Monza has to advance further into the competition, they will have to do something incredible to defeat a giant like Juventus! They are the underdogs in this @ 6.53.
The possibility of a stalemate after the 90 mins are played, stands @ 4.20.
Total goals over/under
The odds that the total number of goals scored will be over 2.5, stands @ 1.98.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands @ 1.94.
The market odds paint the picture that this game will be a low scoring one!
Expect Juventus to win here, and comfortably, but perhaps with fewer goals!
