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As we approach the Champions League finals, let’s take a look at what’s still left to play on the road to Cardiff, and the teams that might yet lift the cup.
It’s been a tough competition so far, with teams like Leicester City delivering shock star performances, and sides like Barcelona flopping short of their best. In the end, four teams have emerged from the dust: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Monaco.
The final will take place on 3rd June at the Principality Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, where 75,000 fans will gather in support of the semi-final victors. But before that, there are some solid games left for all teams to play.
The draws revealed an all-Spanish semi which would eliminate one of the football giants before finals. Meanwhile, Juventus and Monaco will face off for their opportunity to be crowned Europe’s finest. The semi-finals kick off with the first leg of the Real Vs Atletico Madrid game on 2nd May.
Real Madrid are one of the best teams in the world, and are never to be underestimated. With players like Ronaldo and Ramos flying up and down the pitch, and a manager like Zidane who has the affiliation and tactical know-how to drive them forward, they are looking like a pretty nice bet.
The bookies would tend to agree. Odds from BetStars reveal that Real’s first leg has them as favorites at 4/5 to win. The odds for the most likely score predict a 1-0 win for the home team. It will be up to Atletico to fight back when they meet Real Madrid on their own home turf.
Atletico shouldn’t be ruled out of a place in the finals though. It would be foolish assumption given that they only narrowly missed out in Champions League finals twice in the last three seasons. They are fully capable of playing under the high pressure of cup matches, and they will be looking to capitalize on their best opportunity of the season.
Overall though, the odds that Atletico will qualify for the finals are 11/8, with Real still favorites at 4/7, and though it could go either way it would safe to bet that Real Madrid will make the finals this year.
Monaco and Juventus will meet on the 3rd May, and the outcome of this game is looking easier to predict. The bookies have Juventus down as favorites to win their away leg at 6/4, though the most likely outcome is a 1-1 draw. Overall, Juventus are firm favorites to qualify for the finals, with 4/11 odds, compared to Monaco at 9/4.
Though we all know that football can go either way, Monaco are the underdogs by far over the two legs. They are coming up against a top-form and top-class Juventus team that is arguably the strongest team in the Champions League right now, and will struggle to penetrate their almost flawless defense.
Monaco have been underdogs throughout the competition, and have managed to silently pull up victories against decent European sides, but they may well meet their match when it comes to Juventus. It’s looking like a Juventus vs Real Madrid final.
So, what might the final have in store for us if these two teams were to meet. Well, right now on BetStars, Juventus and Real Madrid are drawing exactly even on their odds to win the competition, as 13/8 joint favorites. And that’s pretty reflective of how close this competition will be. If a decision was forced, Juventus might deserve it the most, but only time will tell the outcome.
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