DOMESTIC dominance looks to be ending for Juventus but this could be the season where they scratch that Champions League itch, with Porto standing in the way of a place in the last eight.
The quest for a 10th successive Serie A title suffered a huge blow at the weekend as Juve crashed to defeat against Napoli, leaving them in fourth place and eight points adrift of leaders Inter Milan.
It has been a difficult debut campaign for rookie boss Andrea Pirlo but all will be forgiven if he can lead the Turin giants to their first Champions League triumph since 1996.
Juventus splashed out on Cristiano Ronaldo in a bid to rule Europe but the superstar is now in his third season at the club and at 36 will know he is running out of time to fire them to glory.
Ronaldo and Co are favourites to see off Porto but the Portuguese side could be a tough nut to crack. They have yet to concede at home in the Champions League this season and head into this clash on the back of five successive clean sheets in Europe.
Sergio Conceicao's side have lost just once in their last 20 games in all competitions but a run of four successive domestic draws has halted their momentum a little.
How the bookies view it
Despite their impressive form in Europe, Porto are outsiders for this first leg at 31/10 with Unibet. Juventus are a best 13/12 at SBK while the draw is worth considering at 40/17 with the same firm. To qualify Juve are a best 1/4 with VBet and Porto 4/1 at BoyleSports.
Head to head
Juventus are unbeaten in their five previous meetings with Porto and have won four of those fixtures. They last met four years ago at the same stage of the Champions League. The Serie A giants won 2-0 in Portugal (below) then finished the job with a 1-0 win at home but Porto had a man sent off in both games.
Players to watch
Winger Luis Diaz impressed in the group stage for Porto, scoring against Manchester City and Olympiakos. The Colombian is 15/2 with Paddy Power for a goal here which looks overpriced.
I backed Cristiano Ronaldo (below) to net in Juve's Italian Cup clash with Inter but the game ended without a goal despite the Portuguese star's best efforts. He's 21/20 with 888Sport for anytime scorer here but I'm more drawn to midfielder Dejan Kulusevski at 3/1 with Bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Porto's defensive record in Europe, it's tempting to bet against goals, especially with first legs often cagey. Under 2.5 goals isn't great value at a best 8/11 with Betfred but is worth considering for an acca. Betting against both teams to score is a little better at a best 15/16 with SBK which is also good for an accumulator.
The first half could be something of a chess game so I like the look of the 33/20 on offer at TonyBet for no goals in the opening 45 minutes.
Porto midfielder Mateus Uribe has collected five yellows and a red so far this season so could be good value for a card. He's 2/1 with Unibet to collect another against Juventus.
This UEFA Champions League match between FC Porto and Juventus will be played on Feb 17, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best FC Porto vs Juventus prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
