Juventus are in desperate need of a win to jumpstart their UEFA Champions League campaign as they host Maccabi Haifa in a Group H fixture. The visitors are considered the weakest team in the group and are almost likely to struggle against the Italian giants.
It has been a poor start to the season for Juventus, who are struggling to find their best form. They have lost their opening two fixtures in the Champions League and are currently seventh in Serie A.
The result in their previous Champions League fixture will be particularly disappointing to Juventus as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Benfica. They failed to build on an early lead from Arkadiusz Milik and were breached twice by the Portuguese side.
However, the international break may have given manager Massimiliano Allegri the chance to tweak his system as Juventus looked solid in a 3-0 win over Bologna last Saturday. Milik and Dusan Vlahovic started together in attack and both got on the score sheet.
Maccabi Haifa are living up to their tag as the weakest team in Group H having lost their opening two Champions League fixtures. Barak Bakhar’s men began with a 2-0 defeat at Benfica before losing 3-1 at home to PSG in their previous fixture in the competition.
The Israeli champions have now claimed just one win in their last five Champions League matches, conceding 11 goals in that run.
Maccabi Haifa will be keen to build on a 2-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in their domestic league last Saturday. However, they travel to Turin with a poor record on their travels having lost their last two away matches without scoring a goal.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Juventus as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 6/19 with SBK. An unlikely victory for Maccabi Haifa is valued at 10/1 by Unibet, who are also offering odds of 5/1 for a draw.
Head to head
There have been only two previous matches between Juventus and Maccabi Haifa with both teams meeting during the group stage of the 2009-10 Champions League. The Turin club claimed 1-0 victories in both matches.
Players to watch
Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik look to be forming a solid attacking partnership for Juventus with both men on target against Bologna on Saturday. Bet365 has Vlahovic at 4/5 to score anytime while Unibet is offering 22/25 on Milik in the same market.
Having shut out Marko Arnautovic and Bologna last Saturday, Juventus will be targeting a similar outcome on Wednesday. Bremer and Leonardo Bonucci should continue in central defence and can lead the Turin club to another clean sheet at 20/21 with Betfred.
Anything else catch the eye?
Juventus won to nil last time out in Serie A and with Maccabi Haifa struggling for goals on the road, a similar outcome could be on the cards at 6/5 with Paddy Power. Given the result last Saturday, the Turin club could also be backed in the -2 handicap market at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
Juventus scored in both halves against Bologna and could be set for a repeat at 10/11 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Champions League match between Juventus and Maccabi Haifa will be played on Oct 5, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Juventus vs Maccabi Haifa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
