FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP: The Ultra previews JUVENTUS v MANCHESTER CITY with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
JUVENTUS V MANCHESTER CITY
8pm We finish Group G at the FIFA Club World Cup on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE with a cracking fixture on Thursday! They certainly saved the best until last in this Group as Juventus and Manchester City clash to decide top spot. This Group has gone exactly how you would expect given the gulf in class between the top two and the rest – we’ve had smooth wins from both clubs over Al Ain and Wydad Casablanca. City were criticised for only scoring twice against Wydad Casablanca in their opening game, but they past six past Al Ain then afterwards. The players did make plenty of comments on the heat after the opening game; that was probably just an excuses, the handicap was 3.5 goals so “only” a 2-0 win got a few questions from the press.
It’s fair to say we all knew these two will end up going through, and now it’s just a case of where. The winner will meet the Runner-Up in Group H – Real Madrid currently go into the final round of fixtures topping that Group but they do have the same amount of points as Red Bull Salzburg whom they play. They are 1.29 to win though, so you’d assume Real Madrid would top that Group and then the winner of this Group would be very short to progress to the Quarter-Final. The Runner-Up would face Real Madrid, which is obviously a nightmare draw – winning this Group would obviously be a massive advantage, you don’t need me to tell you that!
It’s not a surprise to see Manchester City come into the game as the odds on favourites. Pep Guardiola’s men are trading 1.82 with Juventus 5.0 and the draw is 3.95 at the time of writing. City obviously had a lot of problems last season, and as is their way, they have splashed the cash. They have actually spent an immense amount of money to try and fix the issues, and now Guardiola is armed with an exceptionally strong squad heading into the next season. Despite the problems City have had, on paper they were a better side than Juventus. In Serie A, Juventus finished the season with an average xG created of just 1.56 which was outside the top four attacking figures. Compared that to City’s figure at 1.89 in the Premier League; and they still had their worst season for a while!
The sides met in the Champions League in December – Juventus won 2-0 with home advantage but that was at a time when City were going through a really rough patch. I remember we laid City at the time because they were so easy to play through in the middle of the pitch during that period. They definitely improved after – they spent money in January of course – however I do feel that the 1.82 is a little short here. Juventus have clearly found their scoring boots this tournament despite the low quality opposition, and they did finish Serie A strongly. I just see this game being closer than the odds suggest, and from a value point of view I’m happy to have a small lay on City at the odds.
The Ultra Says:
One point lay (liability) Manchester City to beat Juventus at 1.82 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/JuvMan
