Juventus vs Empoli
Juventus are set to play their Serie A home opener against Empoli this weekend amid uncertainty surrounding the future of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who might not even be with the club by the time this match is played.
New manager Massimiliano Allegri will have to manage all the drama surrounding the Ronaldo situation and make sure he gets a win in his first match back at the Allianz Stadium.
But the Serie A 2021 betting odds have Juve as massive favourites to get their first win of the season as they face the newly promoted side.
Talking Points
Juventus dealing with Ronaldo drama
Allegri looked well on course for a win in his first game back at Juventus. Despite Ronaldo starting on the bench, his side were 2-0 up at Udinese after early goals from Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado.
However, calamitous errors from goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny allowed Udinese to come back and get a 2-2 draw.
With Ronaldo out, Allegri started with a Dybala-Alvaro Morata front two. Dybala had some of the most successful seasons of his career under Allegri, and he wasted little time to create Serie A 2021 highlights with Allegri back in charge.
The talented Argentine had a wonderful game as he scored the opener after just three minutes and assisted Cuadrado’s second goal.
After his disappointing campaign last season under Andrea Pirlo where he had just four goals and three assists in 20 appearances (14 starts), Dybala figures to be a crucial player for Juventus this season, especially if Ronaldo does get his move away from the club.
Ronaldo came on as a substitute against Udinese and almost got the winning goal, but it was ruled out by VAR for offside. Ronaldo’s future remains up in the air, with Manchester City now emerging as a possible destination after they missed out on Harry Kane. Even if he is still in the squad, he is once again unlikely to start.
Meanwhile, Euro 2020 winners Giorgio Chiellini, Federico Chiesa, and Manuel Locatelli only came on as substitutes against Udinese, but all three are in contention to start the home opener. Chiesa, in particular, will be a strong contender to replace Federico Bernardeschi on the left wing.
New boys Empoli start aggressively
Empoli made a dream start in their first match back in the top-flight against Lazio as they took the lead through Filippo Bandinelli after just four minutes.
But the new boys’ joy was quickly snuffed out by Maurizio Sarri’s side, who equalised through Sergej Milinkovic-Savic just two minutes later. Manuel Lazzari and captain Ciro Immobile also scored in the first half to seal the 3-1 win.
Empoli were crowned champions of Serie B last season to gain promotion back to the top-flight for the first time since 2019. They were the top scorers in the league with 68 goals, with Leonardo Mancuso’s 20 goals good for second in the scoring charts.
Coach Aurelio Andreazzoli was quite brave with his lineup choice as he started Mancuso alongside former AC Milan striker Patrick Cutrone up front. A youthful Empoli were not afraid to attack Lazio and had an impressive 16 shots, two of which hit the woodwork.
Although, it remains to be seen whether Andreazzoli will be willing to play as aggressively away to Juventus, who can punish his young and inexperienced side with or without Ronaldo.
History
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Juventus have absolutely dominated Empoli. They have won 28 of their all-time meetings, with six draws and just four defeats.
Juve have won 12 of their past 14 meetings with Empoli, the last six of which they have won by an aggregate score of 13-1.
Juventus also have some impressive home advantage on their side, especially with their fans finally back in the stands. Juve are undefeated in 34 of their last 38 matches at the Allianz Stadium.
Betting Tip
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Juventus vs Empoli | Juventus Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 1.72 |
| August 29, 2:45 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Juventus installed as hefty 1.23 favourites at home. Empoli are massive 11.50 underdogs to upset the Italian giants, while a draw is priced at 5.80.
Even with all the uncertainty surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at the club, Juventus showed (at least for the first half) in their opener against Udinese that there is still ample quality in their side.
With Chiesa and possibly new signing Manuel Locatelli set to join Dybala in the starting lineup, the Old Lady should handle new boys Empoli without too many problems and record a comfortable home win – with or without Ronaldo.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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