PSG vs Juventus prediction, odds and preview

Surprisingly, since Juventus defeated Real Madrid 9-2 on aggregate in the 1996 UEFA Super Cup, these two European powerhouses have not met in a meaningful match.

Naturally, a lot has happened since then, with PSG’s trajectory soaring dramatically upwards since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, helping them along the way to acquire superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Lionel Messi.

The Parisians have yet to win the Champions League, with their 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the final in 2020 marking the closest they have got to winning Europe’s premier competition.

With only 30 minutes left at the Bernabeu Stadium, they had a 2-0 aggregate lead over Real Madrid, who ultimately eliminated them at the last-16 stage last year, but Karim Benzema’s quick-fire hat-trick turned the tie around, causing PSG to once again falter at the greatest level.

This summer, Christophe Galtier took over as Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement as manager. The former Lille manager appears to have already improved PSG’s balance by switching to a 3-5-2 configuration in the early stages of his term. They have moved to the top of Ligue 1 ahead of Marseille on goal differential after five victories and one draw, including a convincing 3-0 victory away to Nantes at the weekend.

Juventus, meanwhile, has only ever lost seven finals and has only ever won the European Cup twice, earning them the nickname “permanent bridesmaids.”

The Turin-based team hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals of the Champions League since falling to Lyon, Benfica, and Villarreal in each of the previous three seasons after defeating Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid in the championships in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

Since the two Milan teams have improved beyond them and Juventus hasn’t won the Serie A since 2020, expectations are lower than they once were, but Massimiliano Allegri will hope to at least go one step farther this time.

If they want to stop PSG’s star-studded attacking players from running amok at Parc des Princes on Tuesday, their defense will unquestionably need to be at its best.