Throughout the Champions League semi-finals ties which concluded earlier this month, Liverpool would have been envisaging an all-Premier League showdown with Manchester City, who held the advantage over Real Madrid for all but a few minutes over their two legs. However, yet another miraculous evening in the history of Los Blancos led to the Spanish side setting up a meeting with their fellow illustrious rivals in Paris on May 28. Both teams still have domestic responsibilities to take care of, most notably Liverpool who are still attempting to win the top-flight crown ahead of Man City, but which bets should fans be considering ahead of the showdown in France's capital?
Cloudbet offers punters an opportunity to bet on the Champions League final with cryptocurrency and if you want to give yourself a 50-50 chance when it comes to making a profit, backing Real Madrid appears to be the way to go. There is a justified argument that Liverpool will still have six days to prepare for this game once they have completed the Premier League campaign on May 22, but they have constantly been using up mental energy in their efforts to remain on course for the quadruple. On the back of winning the FA Cup on penalties, Jurgen Klopp made the decision to make nine changes to his starting lineup for the potentially-pivotal trip to Southampton three days later, a case of needs must when assessing the long game.
At the same time that Liverpool have been involved in meaningful games, Klopp's opposite number Carlo Ancelotti has been frequently rotating his Real Madrid squad with the La Liga title long having been wrapped up. Of course, sharpness is a factor, but when the two teams line up at the Stade de France, there can be no doubting that Real will be far the fresher. Taking that into account, backing Ancelotti's men to lift the trophy at 6/4 feels like a no-brainer, Liverpool being far too short given their recent exertions.
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Remaining on the same subject, it is those exertions which make yet another Real Madrid comeback a realistic possibility. As well as fending up a spirited Chelsea comeback in the quarter-finals, Real have produced quite stunning recoveries against Paris Saint-Germain and Man City, the kind that will stand the test of time in Champions League folklore. Could lightning strike for a third time against another European juggernaut? Maybe that is unlikely, but you have to question whether there will be a turning of the tide once the game reaches the hour mark and fitness comes into play. With that in mind, our speculative bet has to be Liverpool winning at half time and Real Madrid to prevail after 90 minutes at 33/1.
Given the level of quality in the final third which will be on show, punters stand to get value for money when it comes to anytime goalscorer bets. Taking everything into consideration, it makes sense to back a likely starter who has the marginally more attractive betting odds, leading us to Sadio Mane. As well as having 22 goals in all competitions this season, Mane has scored six times since the middle of April, never going more than one fixture without finding the back of the net. A return of five goals from 12 Champions League appearances is not exactly prolific, but the Senegal international has history for stepping up in the big moments. Although the likes of Karim Benzema and Mohamed Salah may take your fancy, Mane at just under 2/1 feels like the right bet.
