Having failed to live up to expectations during the opening stage of the 2024/25 Champions League, Juventus have been handed a chance to gain redemption in the knockout phase.
The Serie A giants will face PSV Eindhoven in the play-off round, with the winners progressing to face either Arsenal or Inter Milan in the last-16.
Juventus are now rated as 66/1 shots by most betting sites to lift the prestigious trophy, but those odds will vanish if they start producing their best form.
Read on as we look at the draw for the knockout round play-off and last-16, before assessing Juve’s chances of making further progress in the competition.
Champions League 2024/25 – Knockout round-play-off draw
Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
Monaco vs Benfica
Celtic vs Bayern Munich
Club Brugge vs Atalanta
Juventus vs PSV Eindhoven
Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund
Feyenoord vs AC Milan
The ties are scheduled for February 11/12 & 18-19.
Champions League 2024/25 – Last-16 draw
Brest or Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool or Barcelona
Monaco or Benfica vs Liverpool or Barcelona
Club Brugge or Atalanta vs Lille or Aston Villa
Sporting CP or Borussia Dortmund vs Lille or Aston Villa
Celtic or Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen
Manchester City or Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen
Juventus or PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal or Inter Milan
Feyenoord or AC Milan vs Arsenal or Inter Milan
The ties are scheduled for March 4/5 & 11/12
The quarter-finals beckon for Juventus
Juventus made a strong start to the Champions League campaign, but ultimately missed out on claiming automatic progression to the last-16. Here’s a reminder of their results:
September 17: Juventus 3-1 PSV Eindhoven
October 10: Leipzig 2-3 Juventus
October 22: Juventus 0-1 Stuttgart
November 5: Lille 1-1 Juventus
November 27: Aston Villa 0-0 Juventus
December 11: Juventus 2-0 Manchester City
January 21: Club Brugge 0-0 Juventus
January 29: Juventus 0-2 Benfica
The 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Matchday 6 was the high point of Juventus’ league phase campaign and should have been the catalyst for a top-eight finish.
However, they took just one point from their final two fixtures against Club Brugge and Benfica which sent them tumbling down to 20th in the standings.
Despite this, they will fancy their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals after being handed a favourable route to that stage of the competition.
Thiago Motta’s side have been paired with PSV in the play-off round and will face either Arsenal or Inter if they emerge victorious from that tie.
While both their potential last-16 opponents would expect to reach the quarter-finals if they faced Juve, it would be foolish to think the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
The Gunners have shown signs of inconsistency this season, and the Serie A side are capable of defeating them if they match the way they played against City.
A clash with Inter would be an intriguing proposition for Juve if they are paired with their Italian rivals, but would be a tie they could enter with no fear.
They held Inter to a 4-4 draw at the San Siro earlier this season to highlight their ability to go toe-to-toe with the reigning Serie A champions.
Reaching the last-16 of the Champions League is the minimum requirement for Motta after their recent dismal run of form domestically and in Europe.
While the fans have lost patience with Motta and his team, he is not in danger of being sacked providing Juve get past PSV in the play-off round.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the board will keep faith with the 42-year-old if he guides the team to the last-16 of the Champions League.
However, a place in the quarter-finals should be the minimum aim given that Juventus have nothing to fear from the teams standing in their way of progressing to that stage.
If Juve can make it through to the last eight, they would meet either Manchester City, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen.
While Motta and his players cannot afford to look too far ahead, they would relish the challenge of taking on one of that quartet.
Champions League 2024/25 – Outright odds
Liverpool – 4/1
Barcelona – 6/1
Arsenal – 6/1
Bayern Munich – 8/1
Real Madrid – 8/1
Manchester City – 10/1
Paris Saint-Germain – 14/1
Inter Milan – 14/1
Atletico Madrid – 16/1
Bayer Leverkusen – 25/1
Aston Villa – 33/1
Atalanta – 33/1
AC Milan – 40/1
Lille – 50/1
Borussia Dortmund – 66/1
Juventus 66/1
Benfica – 80/1
PSV Eindhoven – 100/1
Sporting CP – 100/1
Monaco – 100/1
Feyenoord – 150/1
Brest – 200/1
Celtic – 200/1
Club Brugge – 350/1
