Champions League Final Odds – Why Manchester United will triumph

Champions League odds:
Manchester United +150
Barcelona +150
Draw +225

Soccer may not be North America’s biggest sport but, if you want to get into soccer, Wednesday is the time to do it. The Champions League final pits both the greatest club teams and the greatest players in the world against each other. Manchester United will try to defend its European title against Barcelona and Man U’s Christiano Ronaldo will face Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in a battle of what many online sports book players call the best two players on the planet. It doesn’t get any better than this.

You have to admire what Barcelona accomplished to reach the Champions League final; Andres Iniesta scored during injury time to help Barcelona draw 1-1 with Chelsea and advance on the away goals rule. The win came at a cost for Barcelona, though, as the hard-fought two-game set really left the team nicked up. Dani Alves and Eric Abidal are both suspended for the final game due to cards. Rafael Marquez won’t play due to injury and both Iniesta and Thierry Henri are questionable with ailments of their own. That puts more pressure on Messi, who should be up to the task considering that he leads the Champions League odds with eight goals.

Just like the Cavaliers’ NBA odds (or so we thought), Manchester United’s chances look pretty strong. Rio Ferdinand may not play due to injury and Darren Fletcher is suspended for the match, but Man U is fit to play otherwise. Its biggest weapon is, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has four Champions League goals and can score every time he gets a chance. Wayne Rooney is also a consistent threat up front.

Barcelona’s biggest problem is that the pieces that make the club go either won’t be there or won’t be at 100 per cent. If Henry is hobbled or absent, he won’t draw attention on the wing, meaning Man U can key on Messi. With no Alves and Abidal, Barcelona will send second-string fullbacks out against Ronaldo, and you know he’s licking his chops at the prospect of that matchup.

Barcelona is still a deep and talented team, but its sportsbook odds aren’t too attractive against a much healthier Man U team that also didn’t have to work as hard to get to this point (beat Arsenal 3-1). A repeat win is in the cards.

Online sports book pick: Manchester United +150

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