Liverpool v Real Madrid betting tips: Reds favourites to conquer Europe again

“To make this the third in the space of five years is incredible from this group of boys. As players and fans and everyone alike, (we) should never ever take this for granted.”

Few could begrudge the Reds another Champions League crown, especially having been pipped to the Premier League title by Manchester City, and they are the favourites to lift the trophy in the Liverpool v Real Madrid odds at 8/15 or 21/20 for victory in 90 minutes.

Real resilience hard to ignore

Standing in Liverpool’s way are Real Madrid, who must feel their name is on the trophy once again after an amazing run to the final.

They looked a long way off being continental champions when they lost 2-1 at home to Moldovan minnows FC Sheriff in their first home game but that was their only setback during the group stage.

While qualifying for the knockout stage was achieved with little fuss, their three ties since then have been quite the opposite.

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They came from 2-0 down on aggregate to beat PSG 3-2 thanks to Karim Benzema’s quickfire hat-trick and then threw away a two-goal advantage against Chelsea to trail 4-3 before eventually winning 5-4 after extra time.

An all-English final then looked a certainty when Manchester City were 5-3 up going into the 90th minute of the second leg in the semi-final but Rodrygo’s double kept their hopes alive and Benzema’s penalty ensured a fifth Champions League final for boss Carlo Ancelotti.

It is a brave punter that writes this team off and Real will relish being 29/20 underdogs in the final. They are 13/5 to win in 90 minutes while the match is 5/2 to go to extra time and Real are 14/1 to win from behind in normal time.

Liverpool v Real Madrid: Previous meetings

This is the third European Cup final between these two heavyweights who have enjoyed one win apiece so far.

Liverpool came out on top after Alan Kennedy scored the only goal in the 82nd minute in the final in 1981 but Real Madrid have the more recent bragging rights after winning 3-1 in the 2018 showpiece.

Benzema’s opener early in the second half was quickly cancelled out by Sadio Mane before Gareth Bale’s brace won it for the Spaniards.

"I want to play Madrid!"

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Real also came out on top in last season’s quarter-final, winning 3-1 at the Bernabeu before holding out for a goalless draw in the second leg at Anfield.

For punters who think history will be repeated, Real to win 3-1 again is an option for Liverpool v Real Madrid betting tips at 28/1 while a Madrid win and both teams to score is 19/4.

Go for goals or will nerves kick in?

Recent Champions League finals have been cagey affairs and the last three have produced just four goals but neutrals have reason to hope for more entertainment this year.

Each of the last three winners have kept a clean sheet in the final, with Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham in 2019 followed by 1-0 wins for Bayern Munich and Chelsea against PSG and Man City respectively.

Liverpool are 14/5 to win to nil again this time but that means shackling Benzema, who is the top scorer in this season’s Champions League with 15 goals, 10 of which have been scored during the knockout stage.

Both teams to score is priced at 3/5 while over 3.5 goals is 17/10, suggesting the bookmakers expect a high-scoring game.

Whether you expect goals or not, Coral have plenty of #YourCall options worth considering for Liverpool v Real Madrid betting tips.

Under 1.5 goals in the first half, under 2.5 goals in the second and either team to win would have paid out in the last three finals and is 7/4 to be repeated.

A goal in both halves and a draw at 6/1 would offer more entertainment while Liverpool to win the first half, Real Madrid to win the second half and the match to go to extra time seems plausible given Real’s matches in this competition and is priced at 12/1 in the Liverpool v Real Madrid odds.

Liverpool v Real Madrid team news

Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara could be winning his battle to be fit despite being forced out of Sunday’s final Premier League game against Wolves at half-time with an Achilles injury.

The 31-year-old also failed to appear as the Reds held a training session in front of media on Wednesday but manager Jurgen Klopp later delivered a positive update on the Spaniard’s fitness.

Klopp said at a press conference: “It’s surprisingly good. After the game I was not really positive about it but we got news that night that it doesn’t look that bad. We will see.”

In further good news for Liverpool ahead of the showpiece clash in Paris, midfielder Fabinho and defender Joe Gomez were both involved in training.

Fabinho has missed the last three matches, including the FA Cup final, with a hamstring problem whilst Gomez suffered an ankle injury in the penultimate Premier League game against Southampton.

The biggest question for Ancelotti is whether to start with Rodrygo after his two goals off the bench for Real in the semi-final but he seems more likely to keep faith with Federico Valverde.

View the latest Champions League odds

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication