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Thursday, June 01, 2017

Champions League Final Could Be An Extra-Time Affair

The two best football clubs on the planet will meet this Saturday at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final.

The defending champions Real Madrid will face Juventus in a rematch of the 1998 final, which Real Madrid won 1-0 thanks to a 66th minute goal from Predrag Milatovic.
(See Video highlights on YouTube here)

Real Madrid are slim favorites in this match-up, priced at 2.50 (+150) to win with Juventus at 2.75 (+175) and the draw at 90 minutes very much a betting option at 3.05 (+205).

Real Madrid are considered by many to currently be the best club in the  world after winning the Champions League in 2014 and 2016, and they come into Saturday’s final as Spain's La Liga champions, led by the incomparable four-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristian Ronaldo.

But, Juventus have legendary Gianluigi Buffon in goal, and won Italy's Serie A for the sixth straight year. Juve have a mean defence having conceded just one goal in their last seven matches combined.

Scoring could be even more difficult for Real Madrid if reports on Gareth Bale’s health are accurate. Bale suffered a right ankle tendon injury in November and had to leave last month’s Clasico against Barcelona after tweaking his calf.

Despite all the hype - I don't expect this match to be an open affair. Juventus strangled the life out of Barcelona's much vaunted tri-attack of Messi - Neymar and Suarez in nthe quarter-finals, winning 3-0 in Turin and then coasting to a 0-0 draw in Barcelona.

So I would not be surprised if this match was 0-0 at 90 minutes.

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