Chievo vs Juventus Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

The new Serie A season kicks off on Saturday, and champions Juventus get things underway at Chievo. These two sides have enjoyed very different summers. While Juventus launched an Italian record bid for the reigning Ballon d’Or, Chievo were hauled up on charges of inflating transfer fees. That nearly got them kicked out of the top flight, as they prepared to open the season against the champions. Instead, the eyes of the world turn to Verona as Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to make his debut in Italian football.

Chievo play host to this huge occasion, as the Old Lady look to launch a new era. After seven straight titles, they only have the Champions League to target now. However, they’ll be expecting to hold on to their domestic crown. After a serious challenge from Napoli last term, Juve will now be looking at Inter Milan as the main contenders for their crown. However, they’ll expect to finish the season as Italy’s top team yet again, and they’ll want to kick things off with a victory.

While the focus here is obviously Ronaldo, Juventus didn’t stop there this summer. They captured Leonardo Bonucci after he spent a year in Milan, filling a clear void from last season. Emre Can adds dynamism to the holding midfield role, an area where they were repeatedly caught out. Max Allegri has a fantastic spine to his side, and they’re going to look fantastic in defence as well as attack.

Last season Juve conceded just 0.63 goals per game, keeping a clean sheet in 58% of their league games. That form saw them win 5-0 against Chievo over their two league meetings, with Juve winning four of their last five meetings with the Gialloblu without conceding. They’ve kept six clean sheets in eight meetings with this weekend’s opposition, while Chievo failed to score at home to all of the top three last season. That has us going for an away win to nil here, which seems like a value way to back the favourites.

With Ronaldo on the way, it’s hard to look anywhere else when it comes to goalscorers. The prolific forward hit 18 goals across his final 10 league matches for Real, along with firing them to Champions League success. He is going to thrive under the pressure of his debut, and we expect the former Real man to find the net in his first game for the Old Lady. Chievo’s defence hardly looks up to scratch to stop the reigning world player of the year. We’re backing an immediate impact for Ronaldo, as we’re backing him to score any time.