Juventus offer a Champions League reality check for free scoring Bayern

Juventus could be forgiven the odd twinge of trepidation ahead of tonight’s Olympic Stadion clash with Bayern Munich after the hosts warmed up for their arrival with a 9-2 Bundesliga annihilation of Hamburg, but such displays of domestic dominance have had their counterpoints in the Champions League, where Jupp Heynckes’ outfit have seemed somewhat more mortal this term. Juve are 9/2 to win the first leg and 13/8 to qualify from the tie.

Bayern have already incurred two Champions League losses this term, succumbing to BATE in Belarus and more recently seeing a strong line-up almost throw away a home-and-dry first leg lead against Arsenal in front of their own fans. They’ve kept just one clean sheet at European football’s top table in eight games.

Juventus have the competition’s finest defensive record, conceding just four goals so far and it’s a statistic which becomes all the more impressive when it’s considered they’ve not shipped once in their last five Champions League games. It’s a juicy 5/1 that the Bianconeri halt the home goal juggernaut with another shutout.

Even in the midst of their dominant weekend win Bayern conceded twice from corners and with Laurent Koscielny also finding joy from a corner when Arsenal came to visit, Juve could profit from the set pieces. Their towering central defenders Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli are 16/1, 20/1 and 25/1 to score at any time in tonight’s fixture with Coral.

Needless to say Bayern cannot be written off on a ground where they’ve been denied the laurels on just four occasions this season and they’re 8/13 favourites to prevail this evening.

The Munich side have won 14 domestic games on the bounce and they’ve developed a fiendish knack for late goals that’s seen them register 12 in the final five minutes of matches this term. However, minutes 85-90 is also the segment of matches in which they’ve conceded most in 2012/13. Their adversaries this evening have conceded just once in the second half of European games this term and the Turin club are 2/1 to win the second half this evening with no-bet insurance if the hosts win the second period.