by Ben Perks
Vegas oddsmakers expect Liverpool to beat Real Madrid to lift the Champions League trophy for the seventh time this Saturday.
But as Carlo Ancelotti’s team has pulled off some impressive upsets in this competition, have the oddsmakers underestimated Madrid once again?
Get a betting breakdown for the 2022 UEFA Champions League final.
2021-22 UEFA Champions League Final Betting Info
- When: Saturday, May 28 at 3:00 p.m. ET
- Where: Stade de France, Paris, France
- Vegas oddsmakers have made Liverpool -180 favorites to win the Champions League
- Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored in just three of his past 16 matches (four goals)
- Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema has scored at least once in 13 of his past 16 games (20 goals
- The last three UCL Finals have stayed under 2.5 goals – 10 of the last 21 have also stayed under that benchmark
- Before Chelsea won last year’s Champions League final in regular time last season, the moneyline favorite has cashed at the end of 90 minutes + injury time in four straight, six of the last 10, and 10 of the last 17 finals
Liverpool vs. Real Madrid Regular Time Betting Lines
| Spread | Win | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/28/22 @ 15:00 | Liverpool | -0.5 (-105) | +105 | O 2.5, 3 (-108) |
| 12/27/21 @ 20:00 | Real Madrid | +0.5 (+245) | +155 | U 2.5, 3 (-112) | Draw | +265 |
Free-Scoring Liverpool
The Reds nearly clinched three domestic trophies on the last day of the 2021-22 Premier League. However, Manchester City’s dramatic comeback against Aston Villa put an end to that.
Still, Jurgen Klopp’s men can finish their campaign with three trophies by winning the biggest prize in European soccer. As the Reds are one of the most prolific scoring teams in the world, many expect them to out fire their opponents on Saturday.
The Merseyside team bagged a whopping 94 goals in the Premier League.
The Merseyside team bagged a whopping 94 goals in the Premier League. In the UCL, they’ve averaged
2.5 avg. per match (30 goals in total). Also, Liverpool’s win record in the competition is far better than Madrid’s.
Real has been defeated four times in the UCL (8-0-4), while Liverpool has only lost once (10-1-1) – the sole 1-0 defeat against Inter Milan was an insignificant second-leg match. After this loss, the Reds have gone 26-7-1, with a 72-22 goal advantage.
Star striker Mohamed Salah shared the Premier League lead with Son Heung-min of Tottenham this season with 23, and he led the EPL in assists with 13. He has eight goals in Champions League fixtures, while Sadio Mane has five.
Sadio Mane is a dangerous presence alongside Salah – the two stars have managed 54 goals overall in all competitions. Also, Portuguese forward Diogo Jota has scored 21.
Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are also a big part of the offense, combining for 32 assists.
As they will be facing a Real Madrid defense that has conceded at least one goal in seven of its last 10, expect Liverpool to get some goals in the first 90 minutes and possibly see off Los Blancos within regular time.
Real Madrid – The Comeback Kings
Real Madrid’s players have shown how dangerous their never-give-up mentality can be by pulling off three incredible comebacks in the knockouts. After losing to +1800 underdogs Sheriff Tiraspol in the group stages of the competition, it didn’t look good for the Spanish side.
But since that low point, Los Blancos have shown their pedigree. Veteran striker Karim Benzema has been the team’s driving force by scoring two hat tricks in the knockouts and 15 goals in the entire competition.
Benzema only needs one goal to break the record for most Champions League goals by a player in a single season.
Benzema only needs one goal to break the record for most Champions League goals by a player in a single season.
The Frenchman finished his La Liga campaign with 27 goals. He helped fire his team to the title by forming a potent partnership with Vinicius Junior (21 goals in all competitions). The two attackers combined for 30 assists in the team’s 51 games.
Alongside the 34-year-old, Madrid has relied on other older players such as Luka Modric to come to the rescue when needed.
Rodrygo and Eduardo also showed their importance by coming off the bench to beat Manchester City in the second leg of the semifinals.
However, as many expect David Alaba – one of the best defenders in the world – to be fit for Saturday’s game, they should be much stronger at the back and therefore might not need to come from behind to win.
Therefore, Real Madrid’s +147 odds to lift the Champions League at Bovada represent great betting value.
Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.
