Champions League Odds: Real Madrid Favored to Win the Title Entering Semifinals

The UEFA Champions League semifinal draw assured that a Spanish La Liga powerhouse would play for the title for a fourth straight year and that a club from Madrid would be in the final for the third time in that span.

It’s a Madrid derby in one semifinal on May 2 as Real Madrid hosts Atletico Madrid, while the May 3 semifinal features Serie A champion Juventus visiting Ligue 1 leader Monaco. The second-leg matches are one week later.

Real Madrid is the +150 betting favorite (wager $100 to win $150) to win its 12th Champions League title at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark, Juventus +200 for a third, Atletico Madrid +600 for its first and Monaco also +600 for its first.

Real Madrid beat German champion Bayern Munich 6-3 on aggregate to reach a record seventh consecutive Champions League semifinal (2-4 in previous six), and Atletico edged Premier League winner Leicester City 2-1. Atletico makes its sixth-ever semifinal appearance and has won the past three.

The Madrid clubs have met in the Champions League final in two of the past three years, with Real coming out on top in both: 1-1 last year on penalty kicks (5-3) and 4-1 in 2014. Real is looking to become the first team to repeat in the Champions League era. It also beat Atletico in the 2015 quarterfinals 1-0 on aggregate.

Atletico and Madrid played twice in La Liga this season. On November 19, Real won 3-0 in what was to be the Estadio Vicente Calderon's final Madrid derby (Atletico is moving to a new stadium this summer). Cristiano Ronaldo had a hat trick.

On April 8, the clubs drew 1-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann scored the equalizer in the 85th minute.

Juventus lost the Champions League final to Barcelona in 2015 but defeated the Catalans, who had been the tournament’s favorites on the soccer betting lines, 3-0 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. Juve is one of the best defensive teams in Europe, hasn’t conceded a goal in 531 Champions League minutes and allowed just two overall in 10 matches. Juventus is 8-3 all-time in the Champions League semifinal round.

Monaco advanced 6-3 on aggregate over German side Borussia Dortmund. Monaco plays an entertaining attacking brand of soccer with 24 goals since the group stage so it will be a clash of styles against Juventus’ defensive wall. Monaco has reached the final once, losing to Porto in 2004.

Juve and Monaco played in the quarterfinals two seasons ago and Juventus won 1-0 on aggregate. The only other meeting was in the 1998 semifinals, also won by the Italians.

The winner of the Monaco-Juventus tie will be the home side for the June 3 final at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.