Atletico Madrid hosts Juventus in round 1 of the Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Wednesday, September 18th at Wanda Metropolitano (Madrid)
Diego Simeone decided to experiment in a match against Real Sociedad: both Vitolo and Lemar appeared on the pitch from the start, and Atlético played according to a 4-4-2 scheme. The experiment cannot be called very successful: yes, the attack was not so bad (1.07 expected goals per game, plus a lot of attempts when the situation was potentially dangerous, but it didn’t come to the shot - last season’s problem), but the defense lacked balance. This fact can be connected with the fact that both wingbacks attack very well, but sometimes they have problems during the defense. Vitolo and Lemar also appeared on the edges in the midfield - the same story as with Lodi and Trippier (they were creative in attack and not very efficient in defense). In general, the key factor that will affect the bet will be the Atletico scheme - I personally still don’t understand by which formation Simeone’s team will play. It is important for Atletico not to take risks in the upcoming match - no one wants to start the Champions League group stage with a loss of points.
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This season will be very difficult for Juventus because two elements came together at once in this team: smart football, which Maurizio Sarri imposes on his teams, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who simply adores getting high crosses, which requires simplification of the game. It is equally important to note that Ronaldo hardly works out in pressure, and pressure is the most important part of Sarri's football - it is important to regain possession as quickly as possible and as far as possible from your penalty area. Sarri planned to solve this problem by moving Ronaldo to the center of the attack, but Maurizio could not decide who will play on the flanks, so Juventus cannot be called a balanced team right now.
I’ll say right away that I recommend you to bet only when the starting line-up of Atletico and the scheme becomes known - it will become clear what Simeone wants, and you will see the game pattern. But I don’t have the opportunity to write a prediction an hour before the match, so let's look at the game styles of both teams and try to develop some general formula. Both Atletico and Juventus became much more attacking teams in the summer – as for Atletico, it is directly related to updating the squad, and Juventus - mainly due to the arrival of Maurizio Sarri. Given that both teams can be called abuilding and not very stable (especially Juventus), it’s logical to put on Both to Score - Yes. Errors can occur on both sides, and I will repeat that both teams have become much more attacking compared to last season. So, my bet is as such.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score - yes
