Juventus vs Monaco: Match Preview and Predictions

Juventus vs Monaco
UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg
Date: Tuesday, 9th May 2017
Kick-off at 19:45 UK / 20:45 CET
Venue: Juventus Stadium, Turin.

Juventus have one foot in the finals of the 2017 Champions League final as they carry an insatiable 2-0 lead to the semi-final second leg at home against Monaco.

Gonzalo Higuaín threw the decisive punch on either half to set up Juve win at Stade Louis last week. The ex-Real Madrid forward was assisted by former Barcelona wing back Dani Alves on both occasions.

Despite blanking nil, Monaco had plenty of chances to score with both Mbappe and Falcao missing the targets on multiple occasions from close range. It was rather an unusual night for the Ligue 1 side, who were unless otherwise scoring goals at ease.

Juventus vs Monaco: Head-to-head

Juve prevailed on two previous occasions when they came up against Monaco in Champions League knockout ties. In 1998 semi-finals, they won 6-4 on aggregate after a 4-1 win at home did the trick to compensate a 3-2 loss in the second leg at Monaco.

The most recent meeting before this year was in the 2014/15 quarter finals which was decided by an Arturo Vidal penalty goal.

The Old Lady’s overall record against Ligue 1 opposition is 27 16 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses from 27 matches. At home, they are unbeaten in 11 matches with 8 wins and 3 draws.

Moreover, Juve had won in all their previous 11 knockout ties against teams from France.

AS Monaco are yet to register a win in Italian soil. Their managed just 1 win from the previous 7 visits while losing in 6.

Juventus vs Monaco: Prediction

It is a tough ask for Monaco to come to Turin and overturn a massive 2 goal deficit. The Italians are renowned for their stable defense, which has shut out teams like Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Besides, the Old Lady’s are unbeaten in their last 22 home matches in the UEFA competitions.

However, one must expect Monaco to give their best in the second leg on Tuesday. Therefore, this will be a fairly open contest and unlike the first leg, goals are expected at both ends.