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Liverpool vs Real Madrid – Our big bets for the winner of this years Champions League Final

The 2022 Champions League final takes place in Paris on Saturday May 28, and it is a clash of two true heavyweights in the shape of Liverpool and Real Madrid.

by
Football Talk
May 20, 2022

The 2022 Champions League final is taking place in Paris on Saturday May 28, and it is a clash of two true European heavyweights in the shape of Liverpool and Real Madrid. The clubs have met in two of the previous four seasons and will do battle once again.

Madrid hold the view that the European Champion Clubs’ Cup is their trophy, having won it 13 times in the past, more than any other club. Liverpool dominated the competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and one of their four wins in that period was over Real in Paris.

But the Spanish side have had the better of the head-to-head record overall, with four wins and three losses from the eight clashes. They also have two wins and a draw against Liverpool since Jurgen Klopp became the Reds’ manager.

You can use cryptocurrencies to bet on the Champions League final with Cloudbet, so here’s a preview of the match to help you make informed betting selections.

Champions League 2022: Journey to the final

Liverpool (1.55 to win the 2022 Champions League.

Liverpool’s European form has been pretty close to flawless in 2021/22. They set that in motion by winning all six of their matches in the Group Stage for the first time in their Champions League history, taking care of AC Milan, Atletico Madrid and Porto.

The Reds were also victorious in all three of their away matches in the knockout phase but will hope that is not a negative omen as Manchester City did that last season before losing the final.

Their wins at the homes of Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal will certainly provide them with confidence ahead of their clash with Madrid though. It was only in the latter match that they had any difficulty, going 2-0 down at half time, but they recovered with three second half goals.

Real Madrid (54 to win the 2022 Champions League.

Real Madrid’s passage through the knockout phase will go down into legend, no matter what happens in the final.

In each tie they appeared dead and buried yet came back to qualify each time. They faced more daunting opposition than Liverpool too, having to overcome Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City to reach this point.

The semi-final was the most dramatic tie European football has seen for many years. Needing two goals in stoppage time at the end of the second leg, Real somehow got a brace from Rodrygo to take the match into extra time, before Karim Benzema – the competition’s top scorer in 2021/22 – converted a penalty to stun Pep Guardiola and City.

No matter that Liverpool are the favourites and the better team on paper, Real’s journey to the final will have them convinced that their name is on the trophy this year.

Champions League 2022: The statistics

If there is a noticeable difference between these teams it is at the back end of the pitch. They are both among the top teams in Europe’s big five leagues for expected goals this season, but where Liverpool hold a similar position in the defensive standings, Real are much closer to midtable.

The numbers have followed a similar pattern in the Champions League, albeit we mustn’t lose sight of the fact Madrid had a harder run in the knockout phase. Nonetheless, where Liverpool have conceded 80 shots in their 12 games, Real have allowed an enormous 181 in theirs. The pattern continues with shots on target (28 to 65) and to a lesser extent clear-cut chances (20 to 27).

The Reds’ strong defence will face a stiff examination here though. Liverpool play a very high defensive line and their full-backs play like wingers when they are on the attack. The pacy Vinicius Junior scored twice against them last season and will fancy his chances of adding to that tally if the likes of Toni Kroos or Luka Modric can feed him with a long ball over the Reds’ back line.

But Madrid’s record shows they will give up high quality opportunities too. Manchester City had eight clear-cut chances in the tie and should really have ended Real’s interest in the competition in the first leg, never mind the second. As Liverpool have created more golden opportunities than City in the Premier League this season, the likes of Mohamed Salah stand a very good chance of getting on the scoresheet.

There aren’t many managers who know how to keep the Reds at bay as well as Carlo Ancelotti though. He faced them four times each with his two previous clubs, Everton and Napoli, and Liverpool only scored five times in those eight matches. Don Carlo will have devised a tactical plan which will seriously test Klopp’s managerial acumen.