Standard Liège vs Juventus: prediction and odds

Juventus continue their European pre-season tour, and their next stop is in Liège. Local side Standard Liège last appeared on the international stage in the 2020/21 season, so even a friendly against the Italian giants is a major event for Belgian supporters. It is worth noting, however, that the previous meeting between these clubs, which took place less than four years ago in Turin, ended in a surprising 1-1 draw.

Tactical Analysis: Standard Liège

Standard had excellent chances to qualify for the Conference League, but in the final round they sensationally lost to an unmotivated Charleroi (0-2) and once again missed out on European competition. The new Belgian championship kicks off in just two weeks, so Liège began their preparations much earlier than their current opponents. To date, the "Reds" have played four friendly matches, winning three of them. However, against the most prestigious opponent among them, Dunkerque from the French Ligue 2, the hosts lost 0-2.

While in matches against lower‑class opponents from the Belgian lower leagues – Verlaine (7-0), Aubel (4-0), and Francs Borains (1-0) – Vincent Evrard’s men allowed very little to be created near their own goal, the French side managed six shots on target and could easily have won by a larger margin. Despite the defensive line appearing in an almost optimal combination – only the injured Josué Omavoo was missing – Dunkerque created chances with remarkable regularity.

On the other hand, reserve goalkeeper Belmin Dizdarević, who is covering for Matthieu Epolo (resting after the World Cup), performed well. For the same reason, striker Dennis Ayensa is absent, but this loss can hardly be called serious – he scored only five goals in the 2025/26 league campaign. Much more interesting will be watching the club’s main summer signing, Salieu Drammeh from Norwegian side Lillestrøm, who recorded 12 goals and 15 assists in 53 official matches for his previous club. The Gambian winger is expected to make his debut precisely against Juventus.

Tactical Analysis: Juventus

Juventus finished last season’s Serie A outside the top four and thus missed out on the Champions League for the upcoming season. Nevertheless, under Luciano Spalletti the team played quite high‑quality football, and the club’s management decided to continue working with the current head coach. The "Bianconeri" came out of their holiday on 13 July and have already played their first friendly, grinding out a goalless draw with Basel at St. Jakob‑Park.

In that match against one of Switzerland’s most decorated clubs, the Turin side held a slight territorial advantage but could easily have lost if Mattia Perin had not saved a penalty in the 58th minute. After that performance, the 33‑year‑old Italian is likely to start against Standard, replacing Michele Di Gregorio. In attack, despite an almost inevitable and imminent departure, Spalletti will be forced to use Loïs Openda, who has shown little so far, because young new signing from Genoa, Jeff Ekhator, is injured.

Another new arrival, Zeki Çelik, will also not appear at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne, as he is on holiday after the World Cup along with seven other "Old Lady" players. Most noticeable are the absences of Weston McKennie, Kenan Yıldız, and Francisco Conceição, without whom the Turin side struggle to create chances in the opponent’s half. We expect that this time more playing time will go to youth‑team representatives Adin Ličina and Justin Oboavwoduo, who made an active impact in the first summer friendly. However, Vasilije Adžić will not travel to Liège – the Serbian attacking midfielder has been loaned to Monza.

Predicted Lineups

Standard Liège (3-4-3): Dizdarević – Hautekiet, Karamoko, B. Shutalo – Fossy, Tuzgar, Nielsen, Mortensen – Abid, Nsimba, Drammeh

Out: Omavoo (injury), Epolo, Ayensa (both not in squad)

Head coach: Vincent Evrard

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Perin – Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly, Cambiaso – Locatelli, D. Luiz – Ličina, Oboavwoduo, Boga – Openda

Out: Ekhator (injury), David, Bremer, McKennie, Yıldız, Conceição, Gonzalez, Koopmeiners (all not in squad)

Head coach: Luciano Spalletti

Prediction and Bet

Main prediction: Juventus win. Standard have been in pre‑season camp much longer than Juventus, but the difference in physical readiness is offset by the too low class of the Belgian side. Vincent Evrard’s men employ a high press, but they do it not very effectively. Even modest French side Dunkerque bypassed the first line of defence with just one or two passes, receiving plenty of free space in the "Reds’" half, and the Turin side will also have no trouble escaping the hosts’ clumsy pressure. Another important factor is bench depth. When the coaches start making a series of substitutions in the second half, the "Old Lady’s" reserves will be vastly superior in quality to Liège’s young players. Therefore, we back a Juventus victory.

Prediction on goals: Usually in the off‑season teams care much less about defence than in official tournaments. However, Standard and Juventus differ from others: in none of the five summer friendlies involving these teams was an exchange of goals recorded. In this head‑to‑head encounter, we also suggest choosing the option both teams to score – no.