Champions League Betting – Barcelona Meet Juventus in the Final
FC Barcelona (-275, 2.5 o/u) at Juventus (+225)
We are mere hours away from Barcelona and Juventus squaring off for the ultimate trophy in club football, but it’s not too late to get in on the biggest match of the year, betting-wise.
Barcelona are the big favorite which should come as no surprise. The Catalans have been in top form since January, recently clinched the La Liga crown, and have all their top players (including arguably the best player in the world, Lionel Messi) rested and healthy for this last stretch of the season.
Barcelona also have more recent Champions League success to their credit. The squad has been to the Champions League final twice since 2009, beating Manchester United both times, first in Rome (2009) and then at Wembley (2011). Messi was present for both wins, experience which could be crucial come June.
After taking the Copa Del Rey title over Atletico Madrid on May 30, Barcelona are looking for the rare Treble with a UCL win.
Juventus, meanwhile, are looking for a Treble of their own after winning the Serie A Scudetto and the Coppa Italia. Due to Italian club football’s recent downturn, Juve have been an underdog all season in the Champions League. A win over Barcelona would go a long way to re-establishing Serie A as a continental powerhouse.
The last time Juventus were in a Champions League final was back in 2003 when they lost on penalties to AC Milan at Old Trafford. They haven’t won the title since 1996, beating Ajax on penalties in Rome.
Juve mananger Max Allegri has designed his team to adjust to anything the other team brings to the table; they can dominate the possession, or even better, counterattack with strikers Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata upfront.
Considering Barcelona’s talent, though, it’s hard to give Juventus more than a puncher’s – or should I say counter-puncher’s – chance. Barcelona have three of the most lethal strikers in the world (Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar), a team filled with experience, and a coach that, despite his recent success, is still fighting to secure his job next season.
Betting-wise, look for the final to feature at least three goals with the Catalans coming out on top.
Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Juventus.
(Photo credit: Shai Pal [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] via Wikimedia Commons.)
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
