Juventus vs. Barcelona Betting: Champions League Matchup Odds, Stats

Barcelona will be vying for its fourth UEFA Champions League Final victory in 10 years and first since 2011 as a minus-185 betting favorite at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark Saturday at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

They'll be going up against Juventus, a plus-500 underdog wager on the three-way betting line. A draw after regulation time is worth plus-325.

Juventus is playing in the Champions League Final for the first time since 2003 and has lost in its last three appearances since winning it in 1996.

Led by UEFA Champions League all-time leading goalscorer Lionel Messi, Barcelona is coming off a 5-3 win over 2013 champion Bayern Munich in the semifinals. Barcelona took the first leg 3-0 behind a pair of Messi goals on May 6 and was outscored 3-2 in the second on May 12.

In the other semifinal, Juventus took the first leg against defending champ Real Madrid 2-1 on May 5 and won 3-2 based on aggregate scoring.

Unfortunately for the underdogs, Juventus will be without one of its top players in defender Giorgio Chiellini due to a calf injury. He has been with Juventus since 2005 and is regarded as one of the best defensive players in Europe.

Andrea Barzagli may take his place after recovering from a thigh injury he suffered last month.

Regardless, the Juventus defense will face a tough task in trying to upset Barcelona and keep Messi from scoring in a record three different Champions League Finals.

Patrice Evra is expected to draw the difficult assignment of defending Messi, while another key matchup to watch is Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano vs. Juventus’ Carlos Tevez in the midfield. The two Argentines are both playing in their prime.

The total on the Champions League Final betting matchup is listed at 2.5 goals, and recent history suggests a low-scoring match. Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory against Atletico Madrid last year was the first UCL Final since 2004 to see more than four goals scored between the two sides.

Seven of the previous eight Finals before 2014 had three or fewer combined goals, with the winner scoring exactly two goals five times during that stretch.