The showpiece event of the 2016-17 season is nearly upon us as the world’s best two teams prepare to go head to head in the Champions League final. No team has defended better than Juventus this season, and no team has attacked with the devastating flair and efficiency demonstrated by Real Madrid. They have wrapped up their domestic leagues and will now battle it out for European supremacy. One will take the glory, and the other will face untold misery and anguish.
The odds are reasonably tight, but they are largely drifting on Juventus and going in on Real Madrid. Perhaps this is because casual armchair fans want to get in on the action and are backing the team that is more famous, or perhaps the general public simply thinks Real will get the job done. If they pull it off, Zinedine Zidane’s side will become the first team to ever successfully defend the Champions League. They won it after extra-time last season against Atletico Madrid and will face a similarly stubborn side this time around.
Juventus have the concept of defending down to a fine art. They shut out Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Andres Iniesta over 180 minutes in the quarter-final. They kept Monaco, the competition’s top scorers, largely quiet and only conceded once, when they were already 4-0 up on aggregate. They also kept clean sheets in both games against Porto. Gialuigi Buffon has been a rock in goal, and one save from Iniesta was a particular highlight. But he has not had a great deal to do, because Juventus’ experienced defence has barely given the opposition a chance. Giogio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Andrea Barzagli all read the game so well, all understand one another so well and are all up for a real battle, so playing against them can be a nightmare.
But if anyone can breach this fabled backline, it is Real Madrid. Atletico are superb defensively, but Cristiano Ronaldo made a mockery of that by scoring a hat-trick against them in the semi-final. He also scored a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the quarters and looks like a man hell-bent on winning the competition, chiefly to ensure he secures another World Player of the Year gong and moves level with his great rival Messi in the all-time stakes. If they lose this the award could conceivably go to Bonucci or Chiellini, and that simply would not do for this driven and outrageously competitive man.
In a meeting of fantastic defence and fantastic attack, the midfield battle could prove crucial. Real beat Atletico because they got a grip on the game in the middle of the park, and Luka Modric was superb in both games. Lining up next to Toni Kroos and Casemiro, he has been fantastic, and this midfield got the better of Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso of Bayern Munich too, no mean feat at all. Juventus are superb in attack nowadays – led by Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, and Mario Mandzukic – but they are arguably weakest in midfield, where Sami Khedira and Miralem Pjanic will have their work cut out and are likely to be outnumbered.
That is why is makes sense that Real Madrid are the favourites going into this game. They are 8/5 with green listed bookmakers, which is quite appealing, but more people are plumping for Juventus at attractive odds of 2/1. It seems close to call, so other markets might be the best option. Real always seem to concede but are frightening going forwards, so both teams to score looks a really good bet at 19/20 with Bet Stars. Ronaldo to score at any time is hard to ignore at 6/5 with William Hill, but the 19/10 that 888 Sport is offering on Higuain to score at any time also looks a great bet.
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