Champions League Final Preview And Latest Betting Odds

By Ian John
on May 23rd, 2022
in bet365 Sportsbet365 GuidesIn-Depth Gambling Site Guides

After two exhilarating semi-finals, we now know that this year’s 2022 Champions League Final will be contested by Liverpool and Real Madrid.

This will be the third time that the two teams have met in the final of this competition. They last met back in Kyiv in 2018 and before that, they had clashed in 1981, a game which also took place in this year’s host city Paris.

Last year’s final took place in Porto in Portugal and saw Chelsea defeat Manchester City 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz, seeing Chelsea win their second Champions League trophy.

Both of these teams have a long and successful history in this tournament and are amongst the most decorated teams in the competition’s illustrious past.

In this article, we will bring you a complete preview of the final, complete with betting tips and the latest odds. We will also update the article nearer the time with any Champions League Final offers that may be forthcoming from bet365 Sport.

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So let’s begin our preview of the final by taking a look at where it will be played.

Champions League Final 2022

Liverpool and Real Madrid will contest the 2022 Champions League Final at the 80,000 capacity Stade de France stadium in Paris.

The stadium has stepped in after UEFA removed the final from being played in St. Petersburg in Russia over Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine.

The game will be played on Saturday 28^th May, kicking off at 8pm UK Time.

The officials for the game will be announced by UEFA nearer the time. Liverpool have been designated the home team for the final, Real Madrid being the away team.

Let’s now take a closer look at both teams competing in the match.

Champions League Final 2022 Showdown

Liverpool

Champions League Stats 2021/22

Games Played – 12
Games Won – 10
Games Drawn – 1
Games Lost – 1
Goals Scored – 30
Goals Conceded – 13
Leading Goalscorer – Mo Salah – 8 goals

Champions League 2021/22 Results

Group Stage 1 – v AC Milan (H) – W 3-2 (Tomori OG 9, Salah 48, Henderson 69)
Group Stage 2 – v FC Porto (A) – W 5-1 (Salah 18,60, Mane 45, Firmino 77.81)
Group Stage 3 – v Atletico Madrid (A) – W 3-2 (Salah 8,78(p), Keita 13)
Group Stage 4 – v Atletico Madrid (H) – W 2-0 (Jota 13, Mane 21)
Group Stage 5 – v FC Porto (H) – W 2-0 (Thiago 52, Salah 70)
Group Stage 6 – v AC Milan (A) – W 2-1 (Salah 36, Origi 55)

Group Stage Table – Group B

Liverpool – 18pts
Atletico Madrid – 7pts
FC Porto – 5pts
AC Milan – 4pts

Knockout Phase

Round of 16 1^st Leg – v Inter Milan (A) – W 2-0 (Firmino 75, Salah 83)
Round of 16 2^nd Leg – v Inter Milan (H) – L 0-1
Quarter Final 1^st Leg – v Benfica (A) – W 3-1 (Konate 17, Mane 34, Diaz 87)
Quarter Final 2^nd Leg – v Benfica (H) – D 3-3 (Konate 21, Firmino 55,65)
Semi Final 1^st Leg – v Villarreal (H) – W 2-0 (Estupinan OG 53, Mane 55)
Semi Final 2^nd Leg – v Villarreal (A) – W 3-2 (Fabinho 62, Diaz 67, Mane 74)

Liverpool Squad

Manager – Jurgen Klopp

Goalkeepers – Alisson Becker, Caoiminh Kelleher, Adrian, Marcelo Pitaluga

Defenders – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Owen Beck, Rhys Williams

Midfielders – Thiago, Fabinho, Harvey Elliott, Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Tyler Morton, Conor Bradley

Attackers – Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino. Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi, Kaide Gordon

Real Madrid

Champions League Stats 2021/22

Games Played – 12
Games Won – 8
Games Drawn – 0
Games Lost – 4
Goals Scored – 28
Goals Conceded – 13
Leading Goalscorer – Karim Benzema – 15 goals

Champions League 2021/22 Results

Group Stage 1 – v Inter Milan (A) – W 1-0 – (Rodrygo 89)
Group Stage 2 – v Sheriff Tiraspol (H) – L 1-2 – (Benzema 65(p))
Group Stage 3 – v Shakhtar Donetsk (A) – W 5-0 (Kryvtsov OG 37, Vini Jr 51,56, Rodrygo 65, Benzema 90)
Group Stage 4 – v Shakhtar Donetsk (H) – W 2-1 (Benzema 14,61)
Group Stage 5 – v Sheriff Tiraspol (A) – W 3-0 (Alaba 30, Kroos 45, Benzema 55)
Group Stage 6 – v Inter Milan (H) – W 2-0 (Kroos 17, Asensio 79)

Group Stage Table – Group D

Real Madrid – 15pts
Inter Milan – 10pts
Sheriff Tiraspol – 7pts
Shakhtar Donetsk – 2pts

Knockout Phase

Round of 16 1^st Leg – v Paris St Germain (A) – L 0-1
Round of 16 2^nd Leg – v Paris St Germain (H) – W 3-1 (Benzema 61,76,78)
Quarter Final 1^st Leg – v Chelsea (A) – W 3-1 (Benzema 21,24,46)
Quarter Final 2^nd Leg – v Chelsea (H) – L 2-3 (aet) (Rodrygo 80, Benzema 96)
Semi Final 1^st Leg – v Manchester City (A) – L 3-4 (Benzema 33,82(p), Vinicius Jr. 55)
Semi Final 2^nd Leg – v Manchester City (H) W 3-1 AET (Rodrygo 90, 90+1, Benzema(p) 95)

Real Madrid Squad

Manager – Carlo Ancelotti

Goalkeepers – Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Toni Ribeira, Diego Pinero

Defenders – Marcelo, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Nacho, Ferland Mendy, Jesus Vallejo, Miguel Gutierrez, Rafael Zamora, Mario Gila, Sergio Santos

Midfielders – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Lucas Vazquez, Isco, Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos, Antonio Blanco, Peter Gonzalez

Attackers – Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr., Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Mariano Diaz, Juan Miguel Latasa

Liverpool v Real Madrid Head To Head

The teams have met eight times previously, all in the Champions League and two of those games were finals.

The first came in 1981, which was the first meeting of the two teams and Alan Kennedy’s goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 victory in the final, which took place in Paris.

The other final between the two was a couple of years ago in 2018, when two Gareth Bale goals and another from Karim Benzema, aided by two goalkeeping calamities from Loris Karius, handed Real Madrid a 3-1 victory in Kyiv. Sadio Mane scored Liverpool’s sole reply.

In the other six games, Liverpool have two more victories compared to Real’s three and there has been one drawn game between the two. The Reds have scored 8 goals in those games compared to Real’s 10.

Champions League Historical Records

No team has won the Champions League more often than Real Madrid with 13 victories.
The Spanish Champions have also reached the most finals with the final in Paris set to be their 17^th appearance in the game.
Real also hold the record for the most goals scored in a Champions League Final, with their 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960.
Liverpool are the joint third most successful team in the competition’s history with six wins.
The Reds have also reached three other finals in the Champions League.
A win for Liverpool in May would draw them level with Milan with seven wins in the competition.
The teams have met in two finals. In 1981, Liverpool won 1-0 in Paris, while in 2018, Real Madrid were 3-1 winners in Kyiv.
The defeat in Paris to Liverpool in 1981 remains Real’s last defeat in a Champions League Final.

Early Betting Odds

Bet365 Sport’s early odds suggest they have Liverpool as the even money favourites to win the game, with Real Madrid a 3/1 shot. It is also 45/16 on the draw at 90 minutes.

It should be a cracking game between the two if the semi-finals are anything to go by and if you check back on this page over the coming weeks, we will bring you further team news and hopefully information on any offers and promotions bet365 Sport may run for the game.

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Latest Betting Odds – Update

It’s interesting to see how the odds have changed for the Champions League Final over the last few weeks since the first part of this article was written.

Liverpool’s odds have remained consistent as they are still the even money favourite with bet365 Sport to win the game. That suggests that there has been consistent money over the last few weeks for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

However, we have also seen the odds-on Real Madrid shorten from 3/1 a few weeks back down to 5/2. That’s half a point that Los Blancos have come in by and that suggests there is also plenty of money being staked on the Spanish Champions as well as the Reds.

The odds on the draw have also shortened from 45/16 a few weeks back compared with the 13/5 price available right now. Again, this suggests that there has been plenty of money on this game being all-square after the 90-minute mark.

What this tells me is that punters, the same as betting sites, feel this is a really open game and that any of the three results are almost as likely as the others.

How Have The Teams Performed Since Reaching The Final

Liverpool

V Tottenham (H) – D 1-1 (Diaz 74)
V Aston Villa (A) – W 2-1(Matip 6, Mane 65)
V Chelsea (N) – D 0-0 (W 6-5 on penalties) – Won FA Cup
V Southampton (A) –W 2-1 (Minamino 27, Matip 67)
V Wolves (H) – W 3-1 (Mane 24, Salah 84, Robertson 89)

Liverpool won three of their four league games following their semi-final victory over Villarreal, but that draw with Spurs did probably cost the Reds the league title and a shot at the quadruple.

However, they did win the FA Cup for an eighth time by beating Chelsea at Wembley and they have gone through this entire season losing just three games in all competitions, two in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.

In comparison, Real Madrid have lost more than that number in the Champions League alone this season (4) and have lost nine games across all competitions.

Real Madrid

V Atletico Madrid (A) – L 0-1
V Levante (H) – W 6-0 (Mendy 13, Benzema 19, Rodrygo 34, Vinicius Jr 45,68,83)
V Cadiz (A) – D 1-1 (Mariano Diaz 5)
V Real Betis (H) – D 0-0

Since reaching the final with their win over Manchester City, Real Madrid have played just four games, winning one game, drawing two and losing the other.

However, all four games were in La Liga and Real had secured the La Liga title with a 4-0 win over Espanyol a few days before they played their second leg game with Manchester City, which means I would not put too much stock into their perfomances since as their focus will have switched from La Liga to the Champions League Final.

Liverpool V Real Madrid Head To Head

May 1981 – Champions League Final – Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid
Feb 2009 – Champions League R16 – Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool
Mar 2009 – Champions League R16 – Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid
Oct 2014 – Champions League Grp – Liverpool 0-3 Real Madrid
Nov 2014 – Champions League Grp – Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
May 2018 – Champions League Final – Liverpool 1-3 Real Madrid
Apr 2021 – Champions League QF – Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
Apr 2021 – Champions League QF – Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid

In 8 games played Liverpool have won 3, Real Madrid 4 with one game drawn. Liverpool have scored 8 goals in those games, Real Madrid have amassed 10 goals.

Their most recent clash was a quarterfinal tie in this competition last season, with Real winning the first leg 3-1 in Spain, and the second leg being drawn 0-0 at Anfield, though it should be noted Liverpool were without their first four top choice centre backs for both those games.

Champions League Final Team News

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a couple of injury concerns ahead of the final on Saturday night and they may well be giving the German a few headaches.

On a positive note, Virgil Van Dijk was fit enough to be on the bench against Wolves, suggesting he will be fit for Saturday’s final, while Mo Salah played for 30 minutes and scored a goal in Sunday’s win at Anfield which suggests he is also good to go for the game.

However, Fabinho remains a doubt, Divock Origi is out for certain and now Thiago picked up an injury in the game against Wolves which makes him a massive doubt for the game at the weekend with Jurgen Klopp admitting that it does not look good for Thiago and his absence would be a big blow for the Reds given the superb form the Spaniard has been in of late.

Thiago is set to undergo a scan on Monday to determine the severity of his injury and Liverpool fans will be hoping that he is fit to go for the game, although the prognosis does not look positive. That could mean Naby Keita could get a start in midfield alongside Fabinho, if he is fit enough to play and likely Jordan Henderson.

Predicted Liverpool Team – (4-3-3) – Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, van Dijk, Matip, Fabinho, Henderson, Keita, Diaz, Mane, Salah.

Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti has almost a complete squad to pick from for the weekend, with the only injury concern being Austrian centre back David Alaba.

Alaba picked up an Adductor injury in the first leg against Manchester City and has been out since then, but he is expected to be fit to train this week and if so, should be fit enough to be considered for selection at the weekend.

Real also have Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale fit, but both are only likely to start from the bench in this game.

Manager Ancelotti’s main decision seems to be who to play up front alongside Benzema and Vinicius with Rodrygo and Valverde seemingly being the two players vying for that one slot in the team.

Predicted Real Madrid Team – (4-3-3) – Courtois, Carvajal, Mendy, Alaba, Eder Militao, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Vinicius Jr., Benzema, Valverde

Our Betting Tips For The Champions League Final

So looking at all the factors involved for this game, who is our tip to win the match?

Well, there are a number of key areas that I feel will decide this game. Liverpool will need a solid performance from Alisson after Loris Karius’ nightmare against Real in the last Champions League Final.

The Red also need van Dijk back in defence after a very shaky opening 45 minutes against Wolves at the weekend. Fabinho’s return is also a must for the Reds as his skills in midfield and closing down Real’s midfield orchestrators in Kroos and Modric will be key.

For Real, Benzema and Vinicius Jr. will should the attacking burden in the main, while Liverpool’s front three look well able to cause Madrid real problems.

This will be a close game I am sure, and Real have ridden their luck to get to the final but managed to do so. Maybe their name is already etched on the trophy once again, but maybe also they have used up their luck in the three previous knockout ties.

I am going for a Liverpool win here (evens) with both teams finding the net (11/4 for Win and BTTS) and a 2-1 Liverpool win is an 8/1 chance.

Whatever happens, it should be a cracking game Satuday so don’t forget to tune in for the climax of the season in Europe.

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