In the last-16 stage we landed a Best Bet Acca at odds of 15/1, so let’s hope for a big winner in the final!
Don’t forget to make the most of bet365’s Bonus Code offer with a completely free £5 bet on the big game!
Liverpool v Real Madrid (Saturday 28th May, 20:00 BST, BT Sport)
Liverpool are looking to gain revenge on Real not only for the 3-1 defeat in Kiev in the 2018 final, but also for the same aggregate score which saw the Reds dumped out at the quarter-final stage last season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side will have their first-choice defence available this time around, though, which has contributed to them being around even-money favourites with most bookmakers to win the match in normal time.
Personally, I make Liverpool a bit short in this regard, especially with injury concerns surrounding Fabinho and Thiago. It is likely the former will make it having missed Liverpool’s last four matches with a hamstring issue, but it’s hard to see Thiago starting having suffered an Achilles injury only six days prior to the final in Paris, which is a major blow to the English runners-up’s ability to control possession.
In Liverpool’s six matches against fellow top four opponents in the Premier League this season, the Reds drew all six, with five of them being 1-1 or 2-2 draws. They also drew both domestic cup finals with Chelsea before winning both on penalties.
I’d rank Real at a similar level to Chelsea and Tottenham myself, so given the advantage the Spanards have had in recent in weeks in terms of resting players having already wrapped up the La Liga title, it would be little surprise to see this one go to extra-time (and potentially penalties) after a score draw in normal time.
One key battle will undoubtedly be Liverpool’s right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold against Real’s left-winger Vinicius Junior, who has been in scintillating form during the knockout stages.
Vinicius gave Trent a torrid time in the aforementioned quarter-final last season, with his dribbling ability a threat to any defender on his day.
Interestingly, in the knockout stages, he has drawn four, one, eight, one, six and four tackles from his opposing right-backs. That’s an average of four-per-game, and it’s worth noting half of those were in fewer than 90 minutes, which you’d fully expect Trent to get.
Trent, meanwhile, has made 2+ tackles in five of his eight Champions League starts this season, as well as in five of his last seven league starts. Five of those 15 combined matches saw the 23-year-old make three or four tackles, too.
As such, I’ll be playing Trent’s tackles lines on Sky Bet. It may also be worth jumping on right-sided centre-back Ibrahima Konate (if he starts), who has made 2+ tackles in six of his seven CL starts this season, and will be expected to regularly shuffle over whenever Trent marauds forward.
For a longshot, I like combining some of the above selections along with the card and offside markets.
French official Clement Turpin has been handed the whistle for this year’s final, with the 40-year-old showing both teams 1+ card each in 17 of his last 20 matches in all competitions. Given the amount at stake and the sheer quality and pace on the pitch, I’m happy to back this to land.
However, Turpin has shown fewer than five cards in 14 of his last 20 games, too, and we’ve seen a clear directive from UEFA since Euro 2020 for referees to keep their cards in their pocket more often, especially on the big stage.
Liverpool’s opponents were caught offside 3+ times in all six knockout games, meanwhile, with the likes of Vinicius and Karim Benzema likely to look to catch their opponents’ high line out as frequently as possible.
Latest Offers
Don’t forget, once you have decided on your bets, it is always worth browsing several online bookmakers for any limited or ongoing offers available, as well as our special offers section.
Bet365 offer early payout on all major leagues (including the Champions League and Europa League), meaning that if your selected team goes two goals ahead, you will receive an early payout regardless of how the match ends.
Bet365 also allow you to combine up to four Bet Builder’s together to build an accumulator, while offering a bonus on accumulators in the 1X2, BTTS and BTTS & Result markets, with the size of the bonus increasing alongside the more selections you choose.
Kwiff, meanwhile, are offering Supercharged odds on Champions League bets, which you can read more about here. They also offer one guaranteed supercharged bet on a Premier League accumulator every weekend.
