Junior Barranquilla and Millonarios kick off the 2024 Colombian soccer season on Thursday in a clash for the Superliga title, featuring two champions from the previous season. The Junior team will be the hosts at the Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez Stadium, with the match scheduled to begin at 8:00 pm (ET).
Junior Barranquilla enters this final, deciding the current Colombian top team, having clinched the Clausura 2023 title by defeating Independiente Medellín in the final. In the Clausura regular season, Junior finished in 6th place in the Colombian league table. During the postseason, the team competed in the final quadrangular in Group A, where they had the best performance with a record of 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, accumulating 13 points against Tolima, Águilas Doradas, and Deportivo Cali.
Statistically, Junior scored 47 goals and conceded 28 in 28 Clausura matches, resulting in a positive goal difference of +19. Junior Barranquilla was considered an under-team for bettors in the first division of the Colombian league last season, with an average of 31% on OVER 2.5 goals, compared to the league’s average of 39%.
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Millonarios holds the title of the current champion of the Apertura tournament in Colombian soccer. Millonarios secured the second-best record in the regular season, finishing behind Águilas Doradas. In the Apertura postseason, Millonarios led Group B with a record of 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, earning a spot in the final against Group A leader Atlético Nacional, whom they defeated in penalties.
Millonarios performed well in the Apertura, scoring 40 goals and conceding 25 in 28 matches, maintaining a positive goal difference of +15.
The Colombian Championship is divided into two parts: the Primera A Apertura, where teams compete in a round-robin format, and the top 8 advance to the final quadrangular. The same format is followed in the Clausura, and the champions from both tournaments face off to determine the overall Colombian champion before the start of the 2024 season.
Junior Barranquilla vs. Millonarios: Predictions and Betting Tips
For this Superliga first-leg match, Millonarios will be without three key players: Daniel Cataño, Juan Carlos Pereira, and Asprilla are listed as doubtful. Another concern for Millonarios supporters is the absence of Daniel Ruiz, who is on international duty with the Colombian national team in the pre-Olympics.
Junior is favored with odds of +125 to win the match at bet365. This is the first leg of a two-legged tie, with the next match to be played at Millonarios’ home ground. The home team, Junior Barranquilla, could take advantage of their opponent’s absences to secure a favorable result in the first leg, but the team is uncertain about the availability of their reinforcements for the season opener. We advise bettors to follow the official team profiles on Twitter (X) for roster updates. Taking a straight win for Junior might be an unnecessary risk at this point. As of writing, there are limited betting lines available. Millonarios has odds priced at +220 for the victory.
Asian handicap odds are not yet open, only match odds and OVER/UNDER lines. With both teams having uncertainties for the first match due to absences and considering it’s a two-legged affair, our betting tip is to go for Under 2.5 goals with odds of -167, given both teams’ below-average goal-scoring records. Additionally, keep an eye on the opening odds bookmakers for Junior Barranquilla’s 0.0 handicap. Place the bet if the odds are -154 or higher, meaning minimum odds of -154 for the Asian handicap 0.0 as an extra bet for this game. Junior is likely to face a tougher match in the away leg.
- Prediction: Under 2.5 goals odds -167
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