Will Juve lay the foundations for a place in the final?

Who will prevail in the race for the international titles? Only four teams are left in their respective competitions hoping to make it big. Juventus will face Sevilla in the Europa League semifinals, and forecasts see the hosts with the advantage, at least for the first leg in Turin. The opponent in the final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest will be decided between Roma and German representatives Bayer Leverkusen. This means that four top-class teams are still represented in this competition.

At the moment, Juve is particularly high on winning the Europa League title. It is also, in all likelihood, the White and Black’s only chance to qualify for an international competition next year. In the league, the sword of Damocles still hangs over the Bianconeri in the form of a fifteen-point deduction that would rob them of all their Serie A opportunities. While that decision has been reversed, according to the latest media reports, a reduced penalty could still kick in. One gets the feeling that in recent weeks the reins have therefore been let down a bit in Serie A and all concentration is on the Europa League.

However, things are not looking any better for the guests in the league. The train towards international starting places has left without the Andalusians. The red and white only have the possibility to qualify for the international competition next year by winning the Europa League. In the Juventus vs. Sevilla match, betting on the visitors is rewarded with odds of 5.00. So there is a lot at stake for both teams in this semi-final. The first leg kicks off on Thursday at 9pm at the Allianz Stadium.

Juventus – statistics & current form

Due to the pending trial for the balance sheet falsifications, the season outcome of the white and black is still very uncertain at this point. To safely participate in the Champions League next year, winning the Europa League is necessary.

From the first 34 games, the hosts picked up twenty wins and six point splits. In total, the Bianconeri have 66 points, which currently means second place in the standings. SSC Napoli has already been crowned champions in Italy. The battle for the international starting positions in Serie A is a tight one. The rivals from Rome and Milan are breathing down the Turinese’s necks. In a worst-case scenario, the team could plummet in the standings if the court upholds the points deduction.

Juventus with two wins in a row

After five games without a win, Juventus seems to have returned to winning ways just in time for the important semifinal first leg. The last two duels against Lecce (2-1) and at Atalanta Bergamo (2-0) were won. Prior to that, there were three defeats and two draws across the competition. Among them was a 1-0 exit from the Coppa at Inter Milan.

Juve impresses with defensive performance

The showpiece of the Italians this year is their strong defense. With 28 goals conceded, head coach Massimiliano Allegri’s eleven has the third strongest defensive line in Serie A. Only Napoli and Lazio have conceded fewer goals than Torino. The offense has scored 52 times so far, which is fifth best in the league.

Internationally, the Bianconeri started the season in the Champions League. But with third place in the group stage, behind Benfica Lisbon and PSG, they continued in the Europa League after the winter break. Here, the hosts advanced to the semifinals over Nantes (1:1, 3:0), Freiburg (1:0, 2:0) and Sporting Lisbon (1:0,1:1). Now, in the first leg, the basis for the jump to the final should be laid. In the clash between Juventus and Sevilla, the odds for betting on the home side are peaking at 1.80.

Last matches played by Juventus:

Series A

• 07/05/2023 – Atalanta Bergamo 0 – 2 Juventus FC
• 03/05/2023 – Juventus FC 2 – 1 Lecce
• 01/05/2023 – Bologna 1 – 1 Juventus FC

Coppa Italia

• 27/04/2023 – Inter Milan 1 – 0 Juventus FC

Series A

• 24/04/2023 – Juventus FC 0 – 1 SSC Napoli

Sevilla – statistics & current form

Last season Sevilla FC finished in fourth place in the Spanish La Liga. This meant qualification for the Champions League. However, this year the Red and Whites are struggling with many problems and were just two points away from a relegation spot at the end of the first half of the season. In the meantime, the southern Spaniards have at least got rid of their worst relegation worries.

From the 33 games they have played, the visitors have collected twelve wins and eight draws. In total, this means 44 points and currently eleventh place in the standings. The lead over the first relegation spot has thus grown to a reassuring ten points. However, the gap to the first international starting spot is already eight points. It cannot be assumed that this deficit will be made up in the five remaining games.

Sevilla on the rise

Sevilla made the leap to a secure midfield position by winning a series of seven league games with only one defeat. Only against Girona there was a completely surprising 0:2 home defeat at that time. Five of the last six compulsory games were won across the competition.

The Spaniards’ poor first half of the season also had an impact on their results in the Champions League. Behind Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, the Rojiblancos finished third in Group G and were relegated to the Europa League. Here, the eleven of head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, who took over the team in March, advanced to the semifinals via Eindhoven (3-0, 0-2), Fenerbahce (2-0,0-1) and Manchester United (3-0,2-2). In the upcoming match between Juventus and Sevilla, odds of 5.00 are offered for betting on the red and white.

The Rojiblancos with unusual defensive problems

In recent years, the 1946 champions have impressed with their strong defense. This has rarely been relied upon this season. The guests have already conceded 49 goals, which only means fifteenth place in this statistic. The offense is somewhat better. The Andalusians have scored 41 times so far. The top scorer for the red and whites is the Moroccan En-Nesyri, who has scored eight times.

Let’s take a look at the Rojiblancos’ away record. After seven matches without a win away from home, the last three duels on the opponent’s pitch were won. However, the club recorded only one draw in the three away matches in the Europa League.

Last matches played by Sevilla:

La Liga

• 05/05/2023 – Sevilla FC 3 – 2 Espanyol
• 02/05/2023 – Sevilla FC 0 – 2 Girona
• 28/04/2023 – Athletic Bilbao 0 – 1 Sevilla FC
• 24/04/2023 – Sevilla FC 2 – 1 Villarreal FC

Europa League Final Stage

• 21/04/2023 – Sevilla FC 3 – 0 Manchester United

Juventus – Sevilla Direct comparison / H2H balance

Four times the two teams have met so far. The hosts are ahead in the overall record with two wins compared to one defeat. Also for the first leg between Juventus and Sevilla, the bookmakers’ predictions see advantages on the side of the white and black. All four duels so far have taken place in the top division of soccer, the Champions League. Now the next important match is in the semifinals of the Europa League. The previous matches took place in the group stage of the CL, where the Bianconeri always ended up one place ahead of the guests in the standings.

At home, the home side are still without defeat against the red and white. In addition to a goalless 0-0 draw, there was a 2-0 home win for the old lady. Overall, the games between the two teams were rather low-scoring. In three of the four encounters, less than 2.5 goals were on the scoreboard at the final whistle.

Juventus – Sevilla tip

The excitement in the international competitions is approaching its peak. This week, the semifinals are on the schedule and in the Europa League, both Juventus Torino and Sevilla FC are looking to book tickets to fly to Budapest for the final. The hosts ended their negative run, winning their last two league games. Just in time for the decisive games, the Turin team got back on track, as evidenced not least by their success at Atalanta Bergamo.

The red and white team from Andalusia can look back on a completely unsuccessful first half of the season. The points that Mendilibar’s eleven dropped during this period are now missing if they are to qualify for an international competition next year via the league. Just like their upcoming opponents, this can only be achieved by winning the Europa League trophy. Nine competitive games in a row with only one defeat show that the guests are definitely a force to be reckoned with at the moment.

There are still at least 180 exciting minutes ahead of the teams before it is clear which teams will fight for the title in the Puskas Arena. Certainly, not everything will be risked in the first leg. Nevertheless, the Italians in particular are likely to be eager to create a good starting position for the encounter in Andalusia.

We expect a win for the hosts, without expecting a goal spectacle.