Club World Cup: Real Madrid vs Juventus - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Real Madrid and Juventus face off at a neutral venue for the first time since their 2017 Champions League final showdown when they meet in the Club World Cup round of 16 on Wednesday.

Betting sites in NZ have given Los Blancos the nod as favourites. Xabi Alonso’s men topped Group H to be here, while Juventus remain one of the last 16 standing as the runner-ups of Group G.

With both clubs adjusting to life under newly appointed managers, this clash promises to be a showdown between two European elites. Keep reading for our top football betting tips.

Real Madrid

Madrid’s qualification for the knockouts wasn’t yet secured, despite predictions from football betting sites that they’d already be through, when they faced RB Salzburg at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday. But the record Champions League winners held their nerve and swept aside the Austrian side to win the group.

Across their three Club World Cup outings, Real Madrid showed steady improvement—underwhelming against Al Hilal, sharper against Pachuca, and close to their best against Leipzig.

Alonso, however, will believe there are still some chinks in Madrid’s armour and will be aiming for an even stronger performance against Juventus.

Team News: Raul Asencio will be available for selection after serving a one-match suspension for his red card against Pachuka. However, he might have to settle for a place in the bench, as Antonio Rudiger is expected to keep his place in the starting XI. 

Predicted Lineup: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, F. Garcia; Guler, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Valverde, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.

Juventus

While his Madrid counterpart Alonso has taken the reins just now, Igor Tudor has been in charge at Juventus a bit longer. However, he’s still finding his footing after replacing Thiago Motta in March.

Bianconeri started their Club World Cup campaign strong with big wins against Al Ain and Wydad AC. However, they were handed a reality check by Manchester City, who thrashed them 5-2 in the final Group G match on Friday.

Betting apps aren’t particularly optimistic about Juve’s chances against Madrid after that result—but in football, you never say never.

Team News: Juventus made wholesale changes to their starting XI in the Manchester City game. After such a heavy defeat, Tudor might consider making some more tweaks, one of which could see Andre Cambiaso replacing Filip Kostic.

Predicted Lineup: Di Gregorio; Savona, Kelly, Kalulu; Costa, Locatelli, McKennie, Cambiaso; Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic.

• A Juventus player has been sent off in each of the last three competitive meetings with Real Madrid.
• Juventus have two clean-sheets in their last five matches.
• Real Madrid have scored 11 goals in their last five games.

When Juventus decided to move on from Motta, they were sitting fifth in the table, just a point shy of the top four. Tudor stepped in, but there wasn’t a dramatic turnaround—at least in terms of results. The team climbed just one spot to finish fourth, and now Tudor faces his first real test on the international stage with the Club World Cup.

In Tudor’s defence, three months is hardly enough time to get a team fully in sync. Real Madrid may be in transition too, but they’re far more accustomed to the demands of international football—and on paper, they boast superior depth and quality. Add their recent clash with Manchester City into the equation, and it’s clear Juventus face an uphill battle.

We’re backing a Real Madrid win with both teams finding the net. The total goals should exceed the 2.5 mark.

Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus @ 13.00 

Juventus have the firepower to breach Madrid’s resolute defence, but the La Liga outfit have enough in their arsenal to outscore the Old Lady. This has been a high-scoring match historically, so we will back Madrid to win this 3-1.