Celtic v Juventus Preview – Expect a Brilliant Italian Job

Celtic v Juventus

UEFA Champions League

Parkhead, Scotland

Tuesday February 12, 2013

19:45 GMT

Celtic’s superb performances in the Champions League group stage have given them the chance to square up against one of Italy’s best teams. Juventus were too good for Chelsea and they will back themselves to be too good for the Scottish champions.

Celtic Preview

It’s no surprise that Celtic sit top of the Scottish Premier League with a lead of nearly 20 points. At home they can beat any side as their exploits against Barcelona showed and their league form at home reads nine wins, two draws and two defeats, conceding just eight goals.

Injuries and Suspensions

Fraser Forster and James Forrest should return to the Celtic side but key forward Georgios Samaras may miss out as he’s 50/50 and currently carrying a slight knock. Efe Ambrose is unlikely to play following his country’s exploits at the Africa Cup of Nations.

If you think Celtic can pull off an unlikely win then 10/3 is available with the bookies.

Juventus Preview

Juventus are top of Serie A and they have a brilliant record away from home which means they won’t be intimidated by the atmosphere. They have won eight out of their 11 matches, drawing two and losing just one away from their own ground. They have scored 23 and conceded eight.

Injuries and Suspensions

Juventus definitely have three players ruled out of this game; Nicklas Bendtner, Giorgio Chiellini and Simone Pepe. There are also doubts over four key players; Leonardo Bonucci, Mirko Vucinic, Claudio Marchisio and Kwadwo Asamoah who are all carrying slight niggles.

Juve are the odds on favourites to win this match at 4/5. Put a bet on these odds or find more odds here: https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/4/betting/football

Celtic v Juventus Statistics

Celtic finished second in their group behind Barcelona thanks to their all or nothing style of tactics. They secured three wins, one draw and suffered two defeats. Their best win came at home against Barcelona in a match they were expected to lose heavily.

Juventus won their group which contained Chelsea without losing a single game. They scored three times as many goals as they conceded, retaining one of the best defensive records in the group stage.

Head to Head

 There have been two meetings between these sides in Scotland with Celtic winning on both occasions. Celtic won 4-3 during the 2001/2002 Champions League with Juventus winning the reverse fixture 3-2.

Recent Form

Celtic have won both of their matches so far in February, which have come with ease away from home. They also won all of their matches throughout January apart from their League Cup defeat against St Mirren.

Juventus have also won both of their matches in the league this month scoring four goals and conceding just one in the process. They were a little inconsistent through January with one win, two draws and one defeat.

Celtic v Juventus Prediction

Celtic will be extremely confident against any side at home but they have to be careful they’re not too reckless. Juventus thrive in hostile atmospheres and they will simply wait for their chance to counter attack and pick Celtic off. Celtic 0-2 Juventus.

You can get odds of 7/1 on this winning score for the Italian side.