Barcelona vs. Juventus: Odds, Live-Stream Schedule for Champions League Fixture
The two best men's soccer players in the world will square off on Tuesday for the first time since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Juventus.
Ronaldo and the Italian side head to the Camp Nou to face Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona on the final matchday in UEFA Champions League Group G.
Barcelona sits atop the section with 15 points after a perfect run through the first five games. The Spanish side beat Juventus, 2-0, on October 28.
Juventus has been perfect in every other game to secure its position in the round of 16. The Serie A champions need a win and to make up seven goals in goal differential to top the group.
Juventus vs. Barcelona Information
Date: Tuesday, December 8
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
Live Stream: CBS All Access
Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook): Barcelona (+110; bet $100 to win $110): Juventus (+220); Draw (+280)
Preview
Messi and Ronaldo did not go head-to-head in the first group-stage meeting due to the former Real Madrid star's positive COVID-19 test.
Messi netted a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time to secure the 2-0 victory in Turin, Italy. That win is the difference between the two clubs in the Group G standings.
Barcelona owns a plus-14 goal differential to go along with its 15 points. A win or draw secures first place for the La Liga side as does a loss by a small margin.
Outside of the Champions League, Barca has been in shaky form. It suffered a shocking loss to Cadiz over the weekend in league play and resides in ninth place in the La Liga table.
Barcelona owns five wins in its last seven matches. The two losses in that span have come in low-scoring league games.
In European competition, the Blaugrana have a clean sheet against each of their Group G foes, and they scored at least three times on three occasions.
Barca will be short-handed in attack for Tuesday's clash, as Ousmane Dembele suffered a hamstring injury in the loss to Cadiz. Ansu Fati was already out with an injury.
Messi has scored on three occasions in head-to-head Champions League games with Ronaldo. Tuesday marks the sixth time the two superstars will play each other in European club competition.
Since there are restrictions on when teams from the same country can play each other in the Champions League, Messi and Ronaldo played each other twice on the continental stage while Ronaldo was at Real Madrid.
The Portugal international's lone head-to-head UCL win over Messi came in 2008, when Manchester United defeated Barcelona in the knockout round.
Juventus comes into the Camp Nou in the better overall form since it has not lost in the eight games since its home defeat to Barcelona.
Ronaldo leads the Serie A side with 10 goals in all competitions. Alvaro Morata, who has scored nine times in the 2020-21 season, may be the key to victory if he combines well with the Portuguese star.
Messi owns seven goals and two assists across all competitions and could receive attacking support from Antoine Griezmann, who is working into form with five strikes.
Barca is favored solely on its UCL form, but there is a chance its defense fails to contain the Ronaldo-Morata partnership.
Juventus is in the overall better form and should be motivated by trying to steal first place in the standings away from Barca. The top spot is so valuable because it allows the group winner to avoid the seven other first-place sides in the round-of-16 draw.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from FBRef.com.
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