2015 Champions League Final- Barcelona vs. Juventus

2015 Champions League Final- Barcelona vs. Juventus

The 2014-15 Champions League Final will be played on June 6th at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. Last year Real Madrid scored a late equaliser to send the final into overtime and ultimately won 4-1 in extra time over fellow Spanish side Atletico Madrid. This year we’ve been denied another all-Spanish final as Italian side Juventus knocked off Real Madrid in the semifinals and will face Barcelona in the finals. Below shows a few different ways that this game can be bet along with how odds have changed throughout the year and a quick preview of what to expect (odds via 5Dimes).

Champions League Title opening 3-way lines:

Barcelona -155
Juventus +450
Draw +300
Total 2.5 (o-117)

Some may be wondering how there could be a ‘draw’ line for a title game, but this is based on 90 minutes only. If the game is tied after 90 minutes, the draw is the winner, but the teams will then go to extra time and a shootout if necessary. You can also bet the game simply on the spread, or goal line, which is also graded on 90 minutes of play:

Barcelona -0.5 (-152)
Juventus +0.5 (+132)

Finally, for those who simply want to be straight up on who will win the Champions League title, those odds favor Barcelona much more:

Barcelona -300
Juventus +250

While many may have wanted to see another El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, a final between Juventus and Barcelona will prove to be a clash of differing styles. Juventus are a defensive-minded side who have a great balance of youth and veterans. Barcelona are a star-studded, offensive juggernaut who no team can really stop completely. In my opinion this matchup will be more interesting than what Barca-Real would have been because the teams don’t meet as often and there won’t be as much flopping/drama. We pegged Barcelona to win the title before the quarterfinals and although it will be a struggle, they should come out on top.

Barcelona was one of the favorites before the year to compete for the Champions League title while Juventus were more of a longshot at +2000, and were even as high as +4650 back in December. Below shows how both Barcelona’s and Juventus’ odds have changed since since last summer:

June 4th update: Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini (known to some as the Italian player whom Luis Suarez bit in the World Cup) has been ruled OUT of the Champions League Final due to a calf injury. His absence has helped push the Barcelona regulation moneyline from -155 to -175 at the market-setting CRIS sportsbook, a big move for the loss of just one player, especially a defender.

June 5th update: Barcelona is now up to -185 at BetDSI despite receiving just 52% of ML bets on the 3-way line. A whopping 40% of ML bets are on Juventus at +525, unusual for a big underdog to garner so much public support.

Can Juventus still pull off the upset or will Barcelona’s striking trio of Neymar, Suarez and Messi be too much for them?