Champions League Final Betting Tips: Can Real Madrid be stopped?

Real Madrid are the favourites as they take on Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in Saturday's Champions League Final. Carlo Ancelotti is looking to lift this trophy for a fifth time, while Los Blancos can win it for a record 15th time.

The Form

Real Madrid are in frightening form. They haven’t tasted defeat since losing 3-1 to Atletico Madrid in December. They have had to navigate their way through some tricky fixtures with key players absent but Ancelotti’s management enabled them to win the La Liga crown from Barcelona with ease.

Los Blancos had one hand on the league title for quite some time before they eventually lifted the trophy. Therefore, the focus in recent months has been emerging victorious in the Champions League. Real are the undisputed kings of this competition but they have had to beat the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich to make it to the final. They will be hoping to complete the job this weekend.

Borussia Dortmund finished fifth in the Bundesliga. It was enough to secure a place among Europe’s elite next season thanks to the additional qualification spot awarded to the German top flight. However, Terzic will have been disappointed with the team after narrowly missing out on the title last season but a Champions League triumph would more than make up for it.

The German club haven’t been crowned the best team in Europe since 1997. They lost the Champions League final at Wembley in 2013. Edin Terzic’s team will be hoping to fare better at this ground than Jurgen Klopp’s men did in that final.

The Runners and Riders

Real Madrid have a couple of absentees for this one. Aurelian Tchouameni and David Alaba are definitely ruled out through injury. Andriy Lunin was the hero against Manchester City in the quarter-finals but Thibaut Courtois is likely to be in the net here.

Edin Terzic will be unable to call upon Ramy Bensaibaini for this one. Sebastian Haller, Julien Duranville and Mateu Morey all face late fitness tests but there is a chance they will be available. Jadon Sancho is only on loan so this could be the last game of  his second stint at Dortmund.

What They Said

This game will be Toni Kroos’ last in a Real Madrid shirt. Carlo Ancelotti has called upon the younger generation to take more responsibility with the team set to lose several veterans in the coming years. The Italian said, “This generation of players that started in 2014 are still there - Modric, Nacho, Lucas [Vazquez], [Dani] Carvajal. In the future, it will be on the younger players to take more responsibility."

Edin Terzic has been very complimentary of his opposite number ahead of this match. The Dortmund head coach said, “I have read Carlo Ancelotti’s book ‘Quiet Leadership’. Carlo Ancelotti is a role model to all young coaches, including me.”

Tip

Clean sheets have been hard to come by for Real Madrid in the knockout stages of the Champions League this season so our main bet is for both teams to score in the match. Ancelotti’s side boasts the best defensive record in La Liga but they have kept just one clean sheet since the group stages in Europe.

Borussia Dortmund have upset the odds by getting to this point and they will want to make the most of it despite being the underdogs. They have scored an average of two goals per game in the Bundesliga this season. Edin Terzic’s side are also averaging two in each of their last 10 matches across all competitions. 

Dortmund have also found their attacking stride in the Champions League. They failed to find the net in their opening two matches but have scored in the 10 since. Terzic’s men are also conceding an average of 1.17 goals per European match away from Signal Iduna Park this season.

Recommended Bet: Both teams to score at 1.75

Bet Builder Tip

Both teams to score also feature in our bet builder tip. We are also backing under 4.5 cards in the match. 

Borussia Dortmund’s matches have seen the fewest cards in the Champions League this season with an average of 2.92 per game. There have been four cards or less in five of their six matches in the knockout stages and 10 of their 12 European matches overall. Terzic’s side’s Bundesliga matches also see fewer cards. There has been an average of 3.94 in those games, the fourth lowest in the league.

Real Madrid’s Champions League matches average 3.33 cards, the fourth fewest since the start of the group stages. This is well below the competition average of 4.48. There have been four cards or less in nine of their 12 European matches. Carlo Ancelotti took his side to the Champions League final in the 2021/22 season. That 1-0 win over Liverpool saw just one yellow card handed out.

Slavko Vincic is at the whistle for this one. He has officiated two knockout fixtures in this season’s Champions League. The Slovenian dished out three cards in each of those so the 4.5 line looks a little high.

Vinicius has been key in Real Madrid reaching the final. He has scored five goals and assisted a further four in nine appearances. The Brazilian has had to take on a chunk of the goal-scoring burden this season with Los Blancos lacking and out-and-out striker in their starting eleven. Vini netted twice in the first leg of the semi-final against Bayern Munich. He also scored the only goal in the 2021/22 final. He looks set to make his mark on yet another big game here.

Recommended Bet: Both teams to score, under 4.5 cards and Vinicius Junior to scorer at 5.30