Betting Blog
March 6, 2013

Hoops' hopes hinge on Hooper at 5/2

Celtic will be hoping to complete their very own Italian job as they aim to overturn an improbable deficit against Juventus in the Champions League last-16 in Turin.

But, with odds of 100/1 to reach the quarter-finals, bet365 don’t really fancy the Hoops to come from 3-0 down to progress and their view is reinforced by the fact Celtic have never won an away match on Italian soil.

With nothing to lose, expect Neil Lennon’s men to come out fighting from the start, and Gary Hooper at 5/2 to score at any time is a good price for a striker who has netted 23 goals in all competitions for the Scottish champions.

However, keeping out the current Italian champions won’t be easy and given they are well on their way to retaining their Serie A crown, Juventus’ top scorer Sebastian Giovinco on 11 goals will fancy filling his boots as the Italian outfit look to win the Champions League for the first time since 1996. Should the Old Lady strike first, then Giovinco to grab it can see you get odds of 9/2.

History in this fixture shows there have been plenty of goals. In the three meetings in the Champions League, a total of 15 goals have been struck, so with bet365 offering odds of 4/5 for there to be over 2.5 goals, expect the goal-fest to continue.