Two massive derbies are scheduled for the first round of this year’s Champions League edition. Atletico Madrid hosts Juventus at Wanda Metropolitan, while Paris Saint-Germain has a super-derby against Real Madrid at Parc des Princes. Really, there couldn’t be a better start of the elite European football competition.
Match Previews
Atletico Madrid vs Juventus
Atletico suffered a first loss of the season last weekend against Real Sociedad 2-0. Simeone’s guys weren’t looking that bad, but still, the hosts managed to break their excellent defense. Prior to this defeat, the Mattress Makers posted three straight wins in the domestic championship, in two of them keeping the clean sheet. Since they started the preparations period, Simeone’s crew knew nothing except for wins, and we will see if this failure left some scars on their mental strength. Three of those four matches in La Liga saw under 2.5 goals, and only one side scoring, and you need to remember that when betting on Atletico.
Juventus had only three games in Serie A. After beating Parma on the road with 0-1, and posting a spectacular triumph over Napoli, 4-3, Maurizio Sarri’s unit played without goals against Fiorentina away from home. As you can see, the Old Lady still relies upon a tough defense, despite a vast offensive potential this team possesses. Three games with one or no goals, and in each of them Juve kept clean sheets.
The two teams played recently at the International Champions Cup, and Atletico won 2-1. Still, this is something different, and be sure that this will be a truly competitive contest. There fore, a low number of goals is the first choice for this event. Under 2.5 scores here are paid very well at BetXChange, and the odds sit at 1.43, which is from our point of view superb.
PSG vs Real Madrid
The Parisians are in a tough position, as they won’t be able to count on their two superstars, Edinson Cavani, and Kylian Mbappe. That will no doubt affect the offensive thoughts Tomas Tuchel had for this event. Their start in the French Ligue One, has been very good, and the Saints recorded four wins and one defeat in five rounds. What is very interesting is that Tuchel’s side preserved its net intact in all four wins. Now, that is something we haven’t seen in the past, because PSG’s philosophy relies upon fantastic attack, not the defense. The hosts will have a massive motive to win, as they still haven’t beat the Los Blancos since they became a continental power.
Like their rivals, Real too has big problems with injuries. Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Luka Modric aren’t available for this spectacle, while Isco remains questionable for the moment. Zidane’s team didn’t start well in the La Liga, where they have two wins and draws each. But what is important for us is that we have a pattern in their matches which could help us when betting. All four games saw both sides netting, and just one of them didn’t end with four goals or more.
One factor might decide this match, and we haven’t introduced him yet. It is Mauro Icardi. He was in a complicated situation and had disputes with both the fans and the management in Juve. But this is his chance to shine, and to revive his career, which is his desire all time long. With all the Real’s problems in the back line, our pick for this contest is for PSG to score over 1.5 goals. Odds at BetXChange for that are 0.78.
