Prediction: Monaco vs Juventus



Verdict: Juventus Draw no bet

Best Odds: 4/6

Bookmaker: bet365

Europe’s in-form side Monaco are now just a step away from making it to the Champions League final and they hope their attack will prove too much for arguably world’s strongest defensive side. Juventus, on the other hand, are confident their back line will contain the opposition attackers and help the team edge closer to the final in Cardiff.

Monaco

Having seen league rivals PSG spend heavily in an attempt to become competitive on European level, Monaco attempted to do the same, but club’s decision to adopt a more conservative transfer strategy and focus on young and talented footballers that resulted in a genuine breakthrough. As a result, the Principality club have been absolutely outstanding this season, enjoying an excellent run in both French Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and all that’s left now is to finish the job. With a helping hand from Nice, Monaco appear to have secured the league trophy as they are now three points clear of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain and also have a game in hand, meaning the team can now fully focus on their Champions League campaign and attempt to reach the second final, after losing to FC Porto back in 2004. Monaco did well to eliminate both Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund on the road to their fourth semi-final appearance, but they will have bigger fish to fry against rock-solid Juventus. The French giants won six of seven home games in the competition this season, but conceded in five of those matches.

Team News

Key midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko should play with a protective mask after injuring his nose against Toulouse, while Almamy Toure will be preferred to Benjamin Mendy.



Juventus

Juventus are on track to lift their sixth successive Serie A trophy as the league title is now in the bag after the Bianconeri extended their lead at the top to nine points. Max Allegri’s side once again proved too good for both AS Roma and SSC Napoli on domestic stage, while also impressing in Europe. Juventus eliminated FC Porto and mighty Barcelona to reach the Champions League semi-finals and they do look like serious candidates for the coveted trophy. The Bianconeri will now be up against one of Europe’s most exciting sides that boast a formidable attack with resurgent Radamel Falcao and talented Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Thomas Lemar. If anyone can stop red-hot Monaco, that is definitely the incredibly experienced Juventus side and players like Buffon, Bonucci and Chiellini, who, with the help of their teammates, prevented Barcelona from scoring in two quarter-final legs. Having conceded just one goal in five away matches in this year’s competition, the Bianconeri have every right to feel optimistic ahead of the trip to Stade Louis II.

Team News

There are no fresh selection worries for coach Max Allegri, with only Marko Pjaca and Daniele Rugani sidelined through injury.

Key Factors to Consider

• Juventus defeated Monaco 1-0 on aggregate in 2014/15 UCL quarterfinal
• Juventus conceded just one goal in five away games in the current campaign
• Monaco conceded in five of seven home games in UCL
• The Principality club couldn’t keep a clean sheet in seven successive matches at home
• Kylian Mbappe scored in each knockout stage game this term

Conclusion

Monaco have done brilliantly up to this point, but we believe that rock-solid Juventus will prove too much for them. The Bianconeri are incredibly hard to break, while they can be quite dangerous on the break, so we believe they will secure a good result at Stade Louis II.

Verdict: Juventus Draw no bet

Best Odds: 4/6

Bookmaker: bet365