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Barcelona will be favored in Champions League final

By Cody Williams

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Barcelona is already in the Champions League final and will be the favorite no matter which team they face.

Barcelona suffered a defeat in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal matchup against Bayern Munich by a score of 3-2. However, Barcelona’s 3-0 victory in the first leg of the matchup was enough to send Lionel Messi and company through to the finals of club soccer’s biggest tournament.

Barcelona is now waiting to find out who their opponent in the finals will be as Real Madrid and Juventus have the second leg of their matchup on Wednesday. Juventus won the first leg 2-1 in their home stadium, but the away goal could prove to be huge for Madrid if they were to get a 1-0 win on Wednesday.

However, neither Madrid nor Juventus statistically stand a chance against Barcelona in the final. Here’s how the odds would stack up for Barcelona versus each potential opponent:

Seeing Barcelona and Juventus up against one another would be far more intriguing than those odds may indicate. The two European giants haven’t faced off since 2003 in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Though it was 12 years ago, Juventus won that matchup 2-1 and advanced on a 3-2 aggregate.

More than that, it would be a complete contrast of styles as the relentless attack of Barcelona would be up against the slow, methodical pace of Juventus. Seeing which style-of-play would prevail would be something for soccer fans to revel in.

It’d be foolish to deny the fact that the bigger money lies in the rivalry matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the final. Despite Barcelona being 70 percent favorites to come out on top, seeing El Classico to decide the winner of the Champions League would be a surreal moment and the first matchup in the final between the two teams.

More than that, the 70 percent odds seem a bit misleading. Yes, Barcelona has been in much better form between the two teams as of late, but Real Madrid picked up a 3-1 victory in La Liga earlier in the season and hung close in a 2-1 defeat in the second matchup between the two rivals.

Barcelona is certainly in a class of their own when they are in top form. That’s why the odds are so heavily in their favor, but that also shouldn’t take away from the excitement for the Champions League final. Whether it’s a clash of styles against Juventus or a blood feud settled on the biggest stage against Real Madrid, soccer fans will undoubtedly be entertained.

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