Juventus, Monaco, Villarreal, and Bayer Leverkusen are winless across their first three league phase matches. However, can they bounce back?
UCL 25/26 Top 9-24 Finish Betting MarketsOddsJuventus1.14Villarreal1.50Bayer Leverkusen2.00Monaco1.66
Odds courtesy of Betway. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Juve still in good shape to push for a top 24 finish
Juventus currently sit in 25th place, the first elimination spot. Their only loss came last week against Real Madrid. Igor Tudor’s side drew their other two sides and the Croatian has since left his job.
Although Juve’s domestic form in the Serie A has been inconsistent, they still have a chance of reaching the knockout playoff round.
Their next three games appear very winnable. They start by hosting Sporting Lisbon, who currently sit 11th with two wins and one defeat. However, Sporting’s first win came against the weaker Kazakh team, Kairat Almaty
They also benefitted from Emerson Palmieri’s red card for Marseille in their last UCL game. Roberto De Zerbi’s side were a goal up at the time of Palmieri’s sending-off, with Sporting bouncing back with two goals in the second half.
Juve then travel to Norway to play Bodo/Glimt on their artificial pitch. They are still expected to beat their hosts, who play a somewhat naïve, aggressive style.
Following that cold trip, they host the Cypriot first-timers Pafos. They finish by hosting Jose Mourinho’s Benfica, who are last in the entire UCL league phase. Their campaign ends with a trip to Monaco in late January.
There are question marks surrounding the team currently due to Igor Tudor’s departure. Depending on which way Juve go under their new boss, they should still represent value in the 9-24 finish market.
Fixture schedule also looks good for Villarreal but less so for Monaco and Leverkusen
Villarreal seem like one of the best value bets to improve in the second half of the 2025/26 UCL League Phase. Although the Spaniards have only one point from three games, just two points separate them from 24th-placed Union Saint-Gilloise.
Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side are in third place in La Liga this season, just two points behind Barcelona. Their next game is a trip to Pafos, followed by a trip to Dortmund and back-to-back home games with Copenhagen and Ajax. Three of those teams are also in the bottom 12 of the League Phase table.
Their final game is against Bayer Leverkusen, who may need the points for a top-24 finish of their own in January.
Leverkusen are currently one point and one place above Villarreal. Betting markets give the German side a 50% chance of finishing in the top 24.
However, conceding ten goals in three games is a concern. Their next game is a trip to bottom club, Benfica, before back-to-back games with Premier League sides. Kasper Hjulmand’s men then face Olympiacos before their finale with Villarreal.
How Leverkusen perform against Manchester City and Newcastle could decide their chances of reaching the UCL knockout stage.
Finally, Monaco also have two points from their first three UCL League Phase games, having drawn 0-0 with Tottenham last time out. They now have three very winnable games in succession.
Sebastien Pocognoli’s men travel to Bodo/Glimt next. That’s followed by a trip to Pafos and a home game with a Galatasaray side who could have secured a top 24 finish by then.
At least six points from those three games is vital for Monaco’s qualification chances. Especially since their final two games are against Real Madrid and Juventus.
Monaco must secure at least six points from these three games, especially since their final two opponents are Real Madrid and Juventus. The betting markets give Monaco a 60% qualification chance, but this seems risky if they don’t win their upcoming matches.
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