Having suffered back-to-back defeats in Serie A, Juventus now tries to get back to winning ways in the Champions League against Zenit St. Petersburg.
Bookmaker William Hill has the odds at 2.30 for Juve to win by at least two goals and at 4.50 for a home victory with at least a three-goal difference.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: November 1st, 2:30 P.M. (EST)
Massimiliano Allegri has seen his side drop two consecutive games after it seemed that Juventus had finally kicked into gear following a poor start to the season. They went nine games without a defeat across all competitions before suddenly falling 2-1 against Sassuolo at home last Wednesday.
Another 2-1 loss to Verona followed over the weekend and it’s dropped the Old Lady to the ninth place in the league. Getting back to Champions League action should be a welcome distraction for Allegri’s men. They will try to keep up a perfect record on Tuesday. Juventus beat Zenit in the first meeting 1-0 and has so far won every European outing without conceding a goal this season.
The Russian champions sit on three points in Group H. They easily took care of Malmö at home 4-0 before losing to Juventus. The European campaign started for Sergei Semak’s team with another narrow 1-0 loss to Chelsea.
Artem Dzyuba continues to dominate the Russian league but hasn’t been able to replicate his form on the European stage. The veteran striker has notched just three goals in 14 Champions League appearances over the last three seasons.
Dzyuba scored his 144th top-flight goal in Russia in his last outing becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer. It’s a special milestone for the big guy, and he should feel quite confident ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Turin.
The 33-year-old, who’s scored in six consecutive league outings, links up play very well and is always a threat with his presence upfront even if the goals aren’t going in. The Juve team has looked fragile at the back in recent outings and they could be in big trouble if Dzyuba is in the mood.
Dzyuba and his teammates will be desperate to keep their Champions League hopes alive, and they should be ready to fight tooth and nail to avoid a defeat as their chances of qualifying from the group stage will likely only be mathematical with a loss.
