Champions League Final Betting Preview: Real Madrid Odds Favorite vs. Juventus

Real Madrid have already reached a record 15th UEFA Champions League final, but the Spanish soccer club are hoping to win their 12th title on Saturday against Italian side Juventus in a rematch of the 1998 championship match.

Despite that historical edge, Real Madrid are listed as just a small -120 favorite (bet $120 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark, while Juventus are EVEN money (bet $100 to win $100) to take home its third title and first since 1996.

Juventus are six-time runners-up in the Champions League final and fell to Real Madrid 1-0 the last time they met in this situation. That was nearly 20 years ago, and Juventus have arguably been the better squad overall during Champions League play this season.

Juventus won Group H after allowing just two goals combined in six matches. In the knockout phase, they outscored three opponents by a 10-1 margin en route to the final. Monaco were the only opponents to score against them in the semifinals.

Real Madrid obviously have an advantage with championship experience, but the team were not nearly as impressive in finishing as runners-up in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund. Offensively, they were a force to be reckoned with in the knockout phase, scoring twice as many goals or more than their opponents in all three games.

Real Madrid continued to own Atletico Madrid in the semifinals with a 4-2 victory, including 3-0 in the first leg. Real Madrid edged Atletico Madrid in a penalty shootout to win last year’s title.

Cristiano Ronaldo came up big a year ago, establishing himself as one of the all-time greats by leading Real Madrid to their 11th championship. Ronaldo scored the decisive penalty in the shootout, and he is the +350 favorite to score the first goal in this year’s final. Ronaldo is also +550 chalk to score two or more goals and +120 to score anytime.

For Juventus, Gonzalo Higuain is the +400 second choice to score first, +900 to tally two goals or more and +140 to score anytime. Higuain has scored five goals so far in Champions League play to lead his squad to the final, compared to 10 for Ronaldo.