One of the big headline games of the Champions League takes place on Wednesday when Manchester United travel to face Juventus. These two are two of the biggest names in European football, although right now they are both trending in different directions.

Juventus are on the up, and making move to try and climb back to the top of the pile in Europe, while United are struggling to make an impact domestically, and they haven’t shown their worth in Europe for a while now. The points these two have across the first the games tells you all you need to know about them, and what direction they are heading. Juventus have a 100% record, with three wins from three games while United have won just one of their first three, and have four points. A win for Juventus here would really allow them to take control of the group, guaranteeing them qualification to the next round, and top spot in the table with two games to go. They are sure to be going out to do that, so they can rest players further down the line.

This is a game where Juventus can secure top spot in the group, but one that is far more important for Manchester United, who could find themselves in third place after it.

The Situation in Group H This Week

Going into the games this week, here are the standings:

Juventus – 9pts

Man Utd – 4pts

Valencia – 2pts

Young Boys – 1pt

The interesting factor this week is that Valencia host Young Boys on the same evening as the other game, but they kick off at 5:55pm, meaning the game will be over before Juventus and Manchester United take to the field. This game is going to be hard enough for United, but with the pressure of knowing that Valencia have beaten Young Boys and gone above them, the game is going to be even tougher.

Valencia have a fantastic opportunity to put the pressure on Manchester United, and they look likely to take it based on the 1-1 draw they had with Young Boys in Switzerland. Now that Valencia are back at home, they should be able to dominate the game.

What Happened in the First Meeting?

When these two met at Old Trafford last month, Juventus won the game 1-0. However, that doesn’t really tell the full picture of what happened in the game. Juventus outclassed Manchester United on the night, and could have had more, with United struggling to defend against their impressive bunch of attacking players. It was Paulo Dybala who scored the Juventus goal, but Cristiano Ronaldo played an important part in setting it up. He had an influence on the game, and was the main piece driving Juventus forward on a number of different occasions.

Although they played away from home, Juventus played a very adventurous and attacking style, something we are likely to see once more on Wednesday night. They pressured United into making mistakes, and with so manty attacking talents on the pitch, United struggled to pick them all up. Players like Dybala, Ronaldo, Blaise Matuidi and Juan Cuadrado all showed their abilities, and they completely dominated the game.

Going back home, we are likely to see even more from Juventus on home soil this Wednesday, and that makes this a very difficult game for United.

Are Juventus Genuine Champions League Contenders?

There is no doubt that Juventus have built a team to compete in the Champions League, with Cristiano Ronaldo coming in as the last piece this summer. They are one of just two genuine challengers in Italy, alongside Napoli, so they need to do more than just keep winning that two horse race. A number of Italian clubs have fell off the pace a little, namely the two Milan clubs, and that has made things much easier domestically for Juve.

With that in mind, their main aim this season has to be the Champions League. They can afford to throw everything at that, and still pick up the league title based on what we have seen so far, so I expect them to push hard in the Champions League.

Looking around Europe and the other main contenders appear to be Barcelona, Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Juventus deserve to be put against them, and on their day they can certainly beat them all. As ever with this competition the draw will come into play soon, but Juventus will have done all they can if they win here, as they will be confirmed as group winners.

There is a huge amount of attacking talent in this Juventus team, and that is what will win them the Champions League, if they are successful. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala the driving forces, and plenty of other players who can also perform, there is every reason to think that this team is the real deal, and that they can taste Champions League success this season.

Juventus vs Manchester United Betting Tips

In the first game between these two, I thought Juventus dominated the game, and the 1-0 score line could have been bigger with a bit more luck in front of goal. Now they are back at home, and knowing that a win guarantees top spot in the group for them, I think we will see even more from the Italians.

That is something that Manchester United won’t be able to live with in my opinion, and that is why I think we will see a comfortable Juventus victory here.

This Juventus team is one of the best in the competition, and they won’t make the same mistakes and miss the same chances that they did at Old Trafford once more. They have high hopes of going far in this competition, rightfully so, and I think we will see a performance here that proves they are capable of going all the way.

Manchester United are in second place right now, but I think they will drop down to third after the games on Wednesday night. That will put additional pressure on them, and qualifying from that position will not be an easy task. They showed little at Old Trafford to make me think they could have taken something from that game, let alone go to Italy and win against Juve.

With a comfortable win expected, instead of using the normal betting line I will be adding value by using the handicap line. This is the -1 handicap line, and means that Juventus have to win the game by two or more goals, something that I think they are more than capable of doing.

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