Manchester City’s quest for the triple continues on Saturday (8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET) when they meet FA Cup winner Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final from Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Turkey. If City wins, they would join archrival Manchester United as the only teams to win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League all in the same season.
What are our betting predictions for the match? Here are the top picks from our experts.
Which club provides the most value for money in Saturday’s match?
Carr: Man City are certainly more likely to win, but there isn’t much value on City at -500 to take the trophy or even -225 to win in regulation, both of which are somewhat inflated in this headline final. As hard as it is to gamble against City, I’m taking Inter on the 90-minute double chance at +170. I admire how Inter’s five-man back line outperforms Real Madrid’s four-man back line versus City’s onslaught. And this is an Inter squad that has shown its mettle in knockout games, battling their way through the UCL knockout round and winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa this season. Inter have only lost five of their 32 cup games under Simone Inzaghi. Of course, none of those games were against Manchester City, but I still like the pricing on Inter here.
Cuff: As Paul has said, there is little benefit in betting City straight up, but I can’t bet against them. I believe they are the much superior team and will demonstrate this over the course of 90 minutes. If you can parlay City ML and under 2.5 goals (as shown below), you’ll be in +250 territory. Laying the goals, City -1.5 (+120), is a simpler move that I also enjoy.
Thomas predicts a City victory by +2 goals (+120). We know Inter will try their best to stop City, and they probably will for most of the game, but the EPL winners’ offensive alternatives suggest they will break through on more than one occasion.
What is your best prop bet for the championship game?
Carr predicts that both teams will score (+100). The rationale for a City objective is self-evident. This season, they’ve scored in 54 of 60 games, including 26 of their past 27, and have only been shut out once, in a meaningless game against Brentford. Inter have also been on a run, scoring in 13 consecutive games and collecting at least one predicted goal in 18 consecutive games since mid-March. As City’s defenders press forward, Inter’s wingbacks should find space, and Inter has plenty of attackers to target in the box.
Cuff: Finals in general are always close events; the previous four Champions League finals have all been under 2.5 goals, and the last three have all been 1-0 games. This is and has been City’s ultimate objective, as well as the one title they haven’t won since Pep Guardiola took over. When they were in this situation before, Pep seemed to overthink things and made some tactical choices that led to their 1-0 loss to Chelsea. I don’t think he’ll do anything out of character, but I believe this game will be close once again, with Inter’s concentration on defence. Five of Inter’s six knockout-round matches have gone under 2.5 goals. So, although we all know how dangerous City can be, I’m going with under 2.5 goals (+105).
Ilkay Gundogan anytime goal (+280), says Thomas. This seems to be a wonderful deal. The dude is on fire right now and has a knack for scoring huge goals in big games.
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