Will Messi Face Ronaldo in the Champions League
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in quarantine following a positive COVID-19 test although it appears as though the Juventus forward could be available to line up against Barcelona in the Champions League, something that would be a major boost for the Italian champions in their quest to win this season’s competition.
Juve opened their group stage account in the European Cup with a victory away to Dynamo Kiev and it already looks as though they and Barcelona will cruise through to the last sixteen, with Barca thrashing Ferencvaros in their opening game in a clash which saw the Catalan side claim a 5-1 victory.
Can Ronaldo Run Riot Against Messi’s Barcelona?
It’s been a little while since we saw Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the same pitch, although it’s a mouth-watering prospect and we hope that CR7 is available to square off against the other outstanding player of this generation, with the pair forcing each other to reach new heights when it comes to playing football.
While Barca enjoyed an emphatic win over Ferencvaros, we’re slightly surprised to see them as favourites to win in Turin and you only have to cast your mind back a few months to remember the way in which Bayern Munich dismantled them in the Champions League when winning 8-2.
Quite whether Barcelona have recovered from that embarrassment remains to be seen, with Juve having been unbeaten after five games played under Andrea Pirlo and they have managed 3-0 victories at home to Sampdoria and Napoli to indicate that they could be the value here.
Can Messi Outshine Ronaldo on the Big Champions League Stage?
Lionel Messi might not be at the peak of his powers anymore, although the Argentine legend still helped his team enjoy an emphatic result last weekend and Barcelona are trading as marginal favourites to get over the line in this one.
The Spanish side started the La Liga season like a train after winning against Villarreal and Celta Vigo by an aggregate score of 7-0, although things have gone a little awry since then and a 1-0 reverse at Getafe hints that this is no longer a vintage Barcelona team who are in need of a rebuild.
The visitors will be missing the suspended Gerard Pique for this match, although it could be another opportunity for the youngsters to shine and we saw 17-year-old Pedri find the net in the previous Champions League clash, although perhaps Antoine Griezmann will be on from the start in this encounter.
What Are the Best Bets For This Match?
While Messi and Ronaldo will hog the narrative, it remains to be seen whether the latter will test negative in time to play in this match and it could be asking a lot for him to shine considering that fitness could be an issue after a long time out.
We think that the draw probably offers the best value and it would be an outcome regarded as satisfactory to both teams who are probably capable of playing to a similar level, with Pirlo wanting to make sure his team are defensively sound.
That was certainly in evidence when Juve won 2-0 in Kiev and we think if you’re going to have a bet on the home side, you could consider a bet on the Old Lady to claim a victory without conceding even if it sounds crazy to punt against a side who put five past their previous Champions League opponents.
Alvaro Morata would dearly love to find the net in this clash and the former Real Madrid player could be the one to back on the First Goalscorer market after his brace in the competition last week.