There’s an air of inevitability about tonight’s Champions League final and the bookies would have you believe it’s a mere procession for Manchester City to proclaim themselves Champions of Europe for the first time in their history.
But Inter Milan might have a thing or two to say about that. The three-time winners appear in their first final since 2010 when they thwarted Bayern Munich’s Treble chances under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.
City have had a near-perfect route to the final. Goalless draws at Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen were mere bumps in the road during the group stages but they swotted aside everyone they’ve met in the group stages. RB Leipzig were on the end of a 7-0 mauling at the Etihad (8-1 on aggregate) before Euro giants Bayern Munich were overpowered in the quarters (4-1 on aggregate), then came a statement performance against the mighty Real Madrid who were dismantled in Manchester en route to a 4-0 win and 5-1 aggregate victory for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Inter’s route has been a little less eye-catching. They suffered two defeats to Bayern in the group stages but they took four points from the two meetings with Barcelona to ensure a second placed finish. They then got the better of Portuguese sides, Porto (1-0) and Benfica (5-2) to set up a Milan derby in the semi-final. I Nerazzurri cruised through that one 3-0 on aggregate to qualify for their sixth final.
A win for the Italians would see them overtake Manchester United on the all-time winners list and of course it’s the Red Devils’ historic Treble of 1999 that City are attempting to emulate this evening.
On the betting front City are are 1/2 to win inside the 90 minutes and just 1/4 for them to lift the trophy. Inter are 3/1 to be champions and 11/2 to do it in 90 minutes.
Given how Man City have already demolished Real and Bayern and their current run of just one defeat in 26, it’s hard to make a case for anything other than the trophy making it’s way from Turkey back to Manchester and if Pep’s men score early it could be a long night for the Serie A side.
Simone Inzaghi’s men can’t go toe-to-toe with the Citizens so will no doubt set-up to keep things tight for as long as they can but City have so many goal threats throughout the team.
There’s no need to pore over Erling Haaland’s amazing stats in the competition, the fact that he’s 8/11 to score anytime tells it’s own story. A goal in the final is just about all that’s missing from his Champions League CV.
But De Bruyne (10/3), Silva (4/1) and Gundogan (10/3) have all weighed in with crucial goals in recent big matches which makes trying to choose a goalscorer bet a bit tricky.
Both Julian Alvarez (7/5) and Lautaro Martinez will be aiming to make it World Cup / Champions League Double and the latter will be Inter’s biggest goal threat at 7/2 but it’s telling that Bet365 have seven City players ahead of him in the betting.
It looks like a one-sided betting event so it’s all about trying to find a way to get on board with City. Haaland and co. have been rampant at times this season and have scored three or more in half of their Champions League games to date.
Over 2.5 City goals pays 7/4, while Over 2.5 match goals pays 4/5.
Despite being just 1/2 to win the Premier League champions are an attractive 11/8 to win to nil. They’ve kept a clean sheet in seven of 12 matches in the tournament and boasted the joint best defensive record in the Premier League.
Yep, it looks like it’s Manchester City’s to lose tonight and there’s a good chance they’ll sign-off an historic season in spectacular style.
Champions League Final Tips
- Over 2.5 Goals 4/5 Bet365
- Over 2.5 Man City Goals 7/4 Bet365
- Man City to win & Haaland to score 21/20 Bet365
Champions League BetBuilder Tips
- Man City to win to nil, Over 2.5 City Goals & Silva to score first 45/1 Bet365
Bonkers Bet
- Man City 4 Inter 0 14/1 Bet365
Upcoming Match Previews & Tips
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Racing Tips
Rizzel has put up four of his strongest fancies for Saturday’s racing, all coming at Haydock.
As always, let us know your best betting tips and predictions for today in the comments section below and good luck with all your bets!
The post Saturday’s Top Tips: City to Crown Special Season in Style as Kings of Europe appeared first on MrFixitsTips.