Häcken (W) vs Juventus (W) prediction: who will claim the first points?
BK Haecken FF
Juventus
On September 30, Häcken will host Juventus in the second round of the Women's Champions League. The match will be played at Hisingen Arena in Gothenburg and will kick off at 18:45 CET. This is a crucial game for both teams after their disappointing starts to the league phase.
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Häcken began their European campaign with a narrow 0-1 defeat to Inter. The Swedish side had just 39% possession and registered fewer shots than their opponents, so they failed to find the net in Italy. However, they quickly bounced back in the Swedish league, thrashing Eskilstuna 3-0.
Juventus are in a similar situation, although their defeat was even more painful. The Turin side lost 1-2 at home to Benfica. The Italians opened the scoring, but conceded twice after the break and began their European campaign with no points on the board. At the same time, Isaac Guerrero's team had already come through qualifying by beating St. Pölten, so this squad does have European experience.
Now, the cost of a mistake is even higher. Both teams know perfectly well that another defeat would seriously complicate their position in the 18-team league, where only the top four clubs will advance directly to the quarter-finals after six rounds, while teams finishing fifth through 12th will enter the play-offs.
It is also worth noting that Häcken will have home advantage, while the Swedish team have already shown that they can perform confidently in the domestic league. Juventus, meanwhile, will likely opt for a more cautious approach after their setback against Benfica.
All in all, this is a genuinely intriguing matchup. Both teams enter the second round without a point, both need a win, and that means neither side can afford to sit back indefinitely. Gothenburg is set for a real battle for the first points in the Champions League.
My prediction: both teams to score — yes.
