Juventus v Real Madrid Preview, Betting Tips and Odds
And then there were two. Juventus take on Real Madrid in the Champions League Final on Saturday night in a clash between two European heavyweights both chasing their own slice of history. Juve having already secured the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia are going for the treble while Real are looking to be the first team to defend their crown since the Champions League was introduced. Leading football website delivers their verdict and betting tips ahead of the much anticipated clash exclusive for Betsafe.
The clubs
Two of Europe’s greatest football dynasties go head to head for Champions League glory this week, both fresh from domestic dominance.
Real Madrid brushed aside the challenges of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to win La Liga this season, while Juventus’ stranglehold on Italian football showed no signs of slipping, with the Old Lady claiming their sixth successive Scudetto.
Perhaps surprisingly, though, Juventus’ Champions League (or equivalent) pedigree isn’t perhaps what you’d expect. They have only won the trophy twice compared to Madrid’s record 11 triumphs, although Juve are the most prolific losers in final history.
The Italian side have been losing finalists on six occasions, more than any other club, the last of which coming just two years ago.
The last time Juventus won the competition was in 1996, when they were at the peak of their powers and led by Real Madrid legend – and current Los Blancos boss – Zinedine Zidane during his brilliant playing career.
There isn’t a huge amount in it, as far as the markets are concerned, with Real Madrid 9/11 favourites to win outright (8/5 in 90 minutes), and Juventus even money (19/10 in 90 minutes).
The context
Aside from the Zidane angle, the match is notable for two possible firsts, one on each side.
Real Madrid have the chance to become the first club to ever successfully defend a Champions League title.
Such a feat was commonplace when the competition was the European Cup, with AC Milan, Liverpool, Ajax, Nottingham Forest, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Benfica and, of course, Real Madrid themselves all achieving it.
However, since it became the Champions League in 1992, no club have managed it, despite many clubs going close.
Ajax were the first to fail in 1996, losing to Juventus on penalties, who subsequently failed the following year when Borussia Dortmund bested them in a memorable final. 2008 champions Manchester United have also failed, being denied by Barcelona in the 2009 final.
For Juventus, it all appears to be about Gianluigi Buffon. Now 39, the legendary goalkeeper has played for Juventus for 16 years now, and is still yet to get his hands on the most coveted piece of silverware in European club football.
He has tried and failed twice, in 2003 and 2015, but every expectation is that this will be his final chance and there surely isn’t a neutral out there who would begrudge him it.
Past meetings
Real Madrid and Juventus have, surprisingly, met just once in the final of the Champions League or European Cup.
That meeting came in 1998, when a second-half Pedrag Mijatovic goal handed Real Madrid a 1-0 win in Amsterdam.
There were certainly two star-studded line-ups on show that day, with Zidane assuming the apex of the Juventus midfield against the team he’d join three years later.
He was joined in the Juve side by the likes of Edgar Davids, Didier Deschamps, Filippo Inzaghi, and Alessandro Del Piero, while Chelsea boss Antonio Conte was a used substitute.
Meanwhile, Madrid boasted Roberto Carlos, Clarence Seedorf, Raul and Fernando Hierro in their ranks.
If you fancy a repeat scoreline this year, you can get 29/5 with Betsafe on a 1-0 Real Madrid win.
The markets
Games don’t come much bigger than this one, and so you’d expect the men for the big occasion to stand up and be counted.
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos isn’t just a man for the big occasion, he’s a man for the big moment.
The centre-back has developed an unerring habit of powering home big headed goals when his team needs it the most. He is 16-1 to do that again courtesy of a Betsafe boost and that looks like very good value indeed.
You can also get odds of 14/1 for Cristiano Ronaldo to score with a free-kick, and 8/1 on him scoring a header. The 29/1 available on him to score a hat-trick is a punt, but looks to be an immensely tempting one.
If you’re predicting a fairytale scenario for Buffon of a clean sheet followed by him lifting the trophy, a Juventus win to nil can be backed at 17/5.
What’s been said
Zinedine Zidane has made winning look easy since taking the reins at Real Madrid, but he is expecting a very tough and tight game against Juventus.
“They’re good at the back and we’ve scored a lot, but that has nothing to do with the final. This year the two best teams are in the final, and as always we’ll see a great match.“It’s the last game of the season for us, and in my opinion it’s the most important. We’ll prepare it with the same dedication, and nothing will change from the matches we’ve already played.“We’re very happy to have reached the final, we’re aware of how difficult it is but we’ve worked hard and we deserved it.“I was at Juve for five years and I have good memories, this final is special.“Juve will play their final and we’ll play ours, it’s important that we see a good game.”
Zinedine Zidane
One man who appears torn, however, is Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas. He has nailed his white to the wall, but says Buffon ‘should’ win it.
“If the opponent wasn’t Madrid, I’d want him to win the Champions League with all my heart. “He deserves it. It’s obvious that I’m a Madrid fan, but Gigi’s journey shouldn’t end without the Champions League.“He’s won almost everything, but this is a trophy he’s missing and it weighs heavily on him.”
Iker Casillas
Juventus midfielder, Claudio Marchisio, meanwhile, just doesn’t want to face any more heartache and missed opportunities.
“This is the second time we’ve had the chance to take him this trophy.“In the career of a footballer it’s never obvious that you’ll get there to play important games like this.“We have a second chance and we can’t let it get away, because the Champions League is a big one to miss and we’ve had such a beautiful season we have to end it with this victory.”
Claudio Marchiso
Michael Graham
Michael Graham is a contributor for TEAMtalk.com, one of the UK’s leading websites for football news, views, transfer rumours and features.
