Serie A Betting Odds, Picks & Prediction for Juventus vs. AC Milan (Sunday, May 9)

Juventus vs. AC Milan Odds

Italian heavyweights square off Sunday in what should be a barnburner when Juventus welcomes AC Milan to Allianz Stadium for a crucial Serie A match.

These sides are two of four teams fighting for three vacant spots in next season's Champions League competition, with league champion Inter Milan having already booked its spot in the European soccer showcase.

The Old Lady, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, is tied with Atalanta and its latest opponent on 69 points apiece. That trio of clubs occupies positions No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 in the table, with second-place Napoli a point ahead of the pack. Napoli and its UCL dreams took a big step in the right direction Saturday when it leapfrogged those three stalwarts following its 4-1 rout of Spezia.

Suffice it to say, a victory for either side would go a long way in determining who marches on toward the most prestigious club tournament on the planet.

Let's take a look at these sides in what should be an electric showdown.

Bet $20 on Juventus or AC Milan, Get $100 no matter what!

Bet $20 on Juventus or AC Milan as first bet

Win $100 no matter what

New users; CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, TN, VA, WV, PA

BET NOW

Juventus

The Old Lady usually doesn't find herself in these kind of quandaries in the Italian top flight, especially this late in the season. Not having the league title locked up at this point is one thing. To be in a tight race with three others who have been far inferior in comparison in year's past is a whole other ball of wax.

For the first time in a decade, Juventus won't be holding the championship hardware in Italy's first division. That honor has been bestowed upon deserved champion Inter Milan, which has already clinched the league title. The Black and Blues have an unreal 85 points, which puts them 15 points clear of Napoli in the standings.

So, with Juventus' nine consecutive years of being champion, and the possibility of a 10th title in a row gone, the lone focus for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates is making sure Champions League is in their future. And to get there it's going to take some big wins down the stretch.

The Old Lady got quite the scare last time out before Ronaldo bailed out his club with two-late goals in a 2-1 win over 11th-place Udinese. Juventus won the battle of expected goals by a 1.8-0.4 margin, but still needed to pull a rabbit out its hat to earn the road triumph.

The must-have app for Soccer bettors

The best soccer betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW

AC Milan

Things have been pretty disappointing for standout Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the Rossoneri as of late, having lost two of their last three contests. Needless to say, these recent woes couldn't have come at a worse time in their campaign.

AC Milan did pick up a 2-0 win over relegation side Benevento in its most recent fixture, but suffered back-to-back defeats that really dampened its mood in the two matches before that win. The Rossoneri endured a 2-1 setback against suddenly in-form Sassuolo, plus a 3-0 shutout defeat against Lazio, that set them back and made things dicey for them in the top-four race.

Now, AC Milan must find a way to scratch out a result — even a point would be helpful — in this intriguing battle with Juventus. The Rossoneri have an extremely unfavorable schedule to close out the season, with road matches against Torino and Atalanta bookending a meeting with 17th-place Cagliari.

Betting Analysis & Pick

This match really has all the making of being a knock-down, drag-out affair between clubs desperately looking to secure their UCL spots. Expecting anything less than a full, concerted effort from both outfits would be the wrong thing to do.

For me, this contest comes down to big players showing up in big games. And we have two household stars in Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic leading their teams into battle.

That said, I give the edge to Juventus — winner of 35 of its last 38 home league matches — having its star guiding the offensive attack. You don't find many better than the Portuguese talisman, whom I believe will be the difference for The Old Lady on home soil.

For that reason, I'm going with Juventus as my top pick to get the job done and bag all three points. The Old Lady is sitting at -127 odds via DraftKings, so if you're siding with this angle I'd jump on this number while you can. I firmly expect it to drift into the -135 range before kickoff in this Serie A thriller.

Pick: Juventus ML (-127)