The women’s UEFA Champions League heads into the final two rounds of group-stage play this week. Group C is wide open for three of the four teams, and Juventus have a big chance to pick up ground in this Women’s Champions League picks as they host last-place FC Zurich on Thursday at Allianz Arena.
Juventus are in third place in the group with five points from their first four games, with their lone win coming against Zurich on the road.
Behind the Defending Champions
They are two points behind defending champions Lyon and five behind Arsenal as those teams faceoff in London on Thursday. The Italian side must get a win on Thursday before going to Lyon on Dec. 21.
Zurich, meanwhile, have lost all four group-stage games with a -11 goal differential. They have already been eliminated from advancing to the quarterfinals and are now playing for pride and experience.
Matchup Preview
Before looking into the Juventus vs Zurich game prediction for Thursday, let’s look at the UEFA Women’s Champions League standings.
Juventus’ Records
Arsenal lead Group C with 10 points from four games, including a 1-1 draw at Juventus. Lyon are 2-1-1 in the group with nine points from four games, and they also have a 1-1 draw in Italy.
Juventus have five points and a +1 goal differential, while Zurich has 0 points and a -11 goal differential in four games.
In their first matchup in Zurich in October, Juventus won 2-0. They dominated that game with 67% possession and 82% passing accuracy. Juventus out-shot Zurich 11-6 and had three more corners.
The Italian side hit 25 crosses to just 11 for the Swiss team and got shots from nine different players.
If Juventus win, Juventus vs Zurich game prediction will be high as they head to Lyon with a solid chance to head into the next round.
Anything less than a win means they need Lyon to lose to Arsenal on Thursday, and they will then have to win in France next week.
Juventus vs. Zurich Odds Breakdown
Checking the Women’s Champions League odds we see there aren’t any odds listed yet for this game. But expect Juventus to be a massive home favorite in the reverse leg of this group-stage game.
Juventus vs. Zurich Betting Preview
Juventus
In their last domestic game in Serie A on Sunday, Juventus closed the gap on first-place Roma with a 4-2 head-to-head win.
Lineth Beerensteyn scored in both halves, while Christiana Girelli scored in the first half, and Julia Grosso finished off the win in the 79th minute.
Juventus kept their run going of scoring at least two goals in seven of their last eight games. In their last Women’s Champions League game, Juventus lost to Arsenal 1-0 last Wednesday.
They previously beat Zurich 2-0 in October with goals from Valentina Cernoia and Barbara Bonansea. That result helps decipher today’s Juventus v. FC Zurich game prediction.
Juventus’ Quarterfinals Loss
Juventus lost in the quarterfinals of the Champions league last year, and they have won the last five Serie A titles; they have also claimed the last three Supercoppa Italiana trophies and two of the last four Coppa Italia.
Girelli leads the team this season with eight goals in Serie A play, while Beerensteyn has six. Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud Magnin has allowed just three goals in four Champions League games.
She has five clean sheets and no losses in domestic play, with seven goals allowed in nine games.
Zurich
FC Zurich haven’t taken the field since they lost to Lyon 4-0 in the Champions League Matchday 4 last Wednesday. Their last game in the Nationalliga A was a 2-0 win on December 3 against Rapperswil-Jona.
Zurich have won their last three league games with clean sheets while scoring eight goals in that span. They also won their Swiss Cup Round of 16 games 4-1 against Basel in November.
Zurich have won nine straight matches against Swiss competition since a 2-0 loss to Grasshoppers on September 19.
Last Two Group-stage Games
Zurich will be heading home after the last two group-stage games. They reached the round of 16 in the 2013-14 Champions League and won the Swiss Super League last year.
They have won 10 of the last 14 league titles while also claiming seven Swiss Cups in that span. Striker Fabienne Humm is the captain for the Swiss team and the leading scorer in league play.
Their only goal so far in Champions League group play was scored by midfielder Seraina Piubel against Arsenal. Both goalkeepers, Seraina Friedli and Lourdes Romero, have started twice in the Champions League with Romero taking the start in the first Juventus game.
Juventus vs. FC Zurich Pick and Prediction
FC Zurich may not play their top lineup in this game, but Juventus sure will. The Italian side are expecting a very enthusiastic and boisterous crowd as they play this contest at Allianz.
They should feed off that atmosphere early and press forward, attaching Zurich like they did in October.
Who to Bet On?
Juventus has the better talent, and everything is still to play for. Look for them to go for goal early and often, as this is their chance to catch up on goal differential behind Lyon.
Zurich have just one goal in the Champions League group stage, and don’t look for that to change on Thursday.
Final Score Prediction: Juventus 4, Zurich 0
Soccer Pick: Juventus to win (-100)
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