Champions League Group A: Maccabi Haifa vs. Juventus

Maccabi Haifa failed to break a scoring deadlock in Champions League action at Juventus a fortnight ago and slipped to their third consecutive defeat in the competition. Maccabi Haifa remain pointless in Champions League; one of two outfits still blank after three cycles. Maccabi Haifa are rock bottom in Champions League Group A on zero points and another loss will surely see them out of the competition.

Meanwhile, Juventus moved into second place in Group A after they beat Maccabi Haifa and Bayern Munich lost at Bordeaux on matchday 3. Juventus will be looking to strengthen their bid to advance into the knockout rounds with second straight victory over Maccabi Haifa.

Soccer Betting Line:

Maccabi Haifa +1 -125 +525 2½ O Ev U -120 ½ O -140 U +120 Draw +275
Juventus -1 +105 -175 2½ O Ev U -120 1½ O -120 U Ev Draw +275

Venue: Ramat Gan - Ramat Gan - Israel
Match Time: 02:45 PM Eastern Time Tuesday November 3, 2009

Soccer Betting Analysis: Maccabi Haifa have not materialized in this competition and after three failed attempts it should come as no surprise they are severely disadvantage in their coming fixture against Juventus. The problem with Maccabi Haifa has been scoring. They cannot expect to get any points until they can resolve their scoring issues. Solving their scoring deadlock against Buffon, the world’s best goalkeeper in the minds of many, is probably not going to happen.

Juventus are close to seizing a spot in the knockout rounds and they need to win this match to make that spot almost certainly theirs. In that, there is pressure; but no side is better equipped to deal with that pressure than Juventus. Not for nothing are they considered European heavyweights and Buffon one of the best players ever to stand between two posts. The bookies tip Juventus as the clear favourites to win outright and considering they are the side with the most to lose in this match, they should live up to their billing.

Soccer Betting Verdict: At a price point of -175 favourite odds, Juventus are a rather unappealing bet in terms of payout while Maccabi Haifa at discouraging +525 odds are a long shot bet and an unsubstantiated risk. Nevertheless, Juventus are the better play. Soccer Bettors might be better off taking the totals on this match if they are looking for value. Juventus struggled to score against Maccabi in the first leg of their tie and they will probably fare much the same at Ramat Gan stadium. Therefore, the value bet is to take the Under 2.5 at -120 for combined team totals and the Under 1.5 at Evens.