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Berlin will be the host of the grand Champions League final between the surprise package of Juventus and the odds on favorites, FC Barcelona.
Juventus has been a little lucky in reaching this stage, as they were really poor in the quarters against Monaco and could have easily lost the semifinal if Real Madrid would have converted some of those chances in the first half of the second leg. But Juve pulled trough and they deserve massive credit for finally being able to perform in Europe. The Italian side is playing very good football and finished the season in great form, cruising without any problems in Italy despite resting a lot of players in the last few weeks.
Barcelona really reached top form at the right time (similar to Juve), playing their best football in the last quarter of the season. the Messi – Neymar – Suarez trio has been unbelievable, Barca being able to create chances with incredible ease. The Spanish side won 19 of the last 22 matches, including a superb 3-1 win over Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final last week, with Messi having yet another brilliant game.
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Team news & lineups:
Big problems in defense for Juve, as Caceres and Chiellini are out, while Barzagli is a doubt. Pogba is fit to start. Luis Enrique on the other hand has a full squad to chose from. Iniesta is a slight doubt, but he should be in the starting lineup.
Juventus: Buffon – Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Barzagli, Evra – Pirlo, Pogba, Marchisio – Vidal – Morata, Tevez
Barcelona: Ter Stegen – Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba – Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta – Neymar, Suarez, Messi
The level of football from Barcelona is simply incredible right now and even if Champions League finals can be tighter than they are on paper, I really can`t see an upset here. Juventus will surely put on a fight, but the Italians be badly hurt by the missings in defense – they are set to have huge problems against Messi, Suarez and Neymar without the leader of their back line, Chiellini. Look for Barcelona to dominate possession and look for openings in the Italian defense. They should be able to find them and / or create them in order to score a couple of goals over the 90 minutes of regular time.
Over 2,5 could also be a good bet at odds almost evens, but my tip is Barcelona to win. The odds on a straight victory are good enough to avoid handicaps and go with the simpler bet. Prediction: Juventus – Barcelona 1-3.
Pick: Barcelona
Odds: 1.62 @ Bet365
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 5.58
Event date: 6 June
