2022 Champions League Betting Tips and Preview; Saturday evening sees the showpiece event of European club football when Liverpool and Real Madrid meet in Paris in the 2022 Champions League Final.
This is a rematch of the 2018 final, which was won 3-1 by Real Madrid, following that overhead kick from Madrid’s Gareth Bale.
Although he’s in this year’s squad travelling to Paris, it’s unlikely Bale will even make the bench, never mind play a part.
But there is plenty of talent that will be taking part, so let's take a closer look at the match and preview what promises to be a spectacular final.
- Match; 2021/22 Champions League Final
- Teams; Liverpool vs Real Madrid
- Venue; Stade de France
- Where; Saint-Denis, Paris, France
- When; Saturday 28th May, 2022
- Time; 8pm GMT | 9pm CET
If both Liverpool and Real Madrid play to their full potential, I can only see one winner, and that’s Liverpool. We all know football doesn't work like that though.
Can Liverpool Produce One More Performance?
Liverpool are a machine. Under the leadership of Jurgen Klopp, they have become one of the top three or four teams in Europe.
Their biggest problem heading into this final, for me anyway, is fatigue. Pundits will tell you that there is no such thing as fatigue, and that this is a Champions League final.
But last Sunday, there was a chance of winning the Premier League, and I don't care what any pundit tells me, Liverpool didn't look to me like they were firing on all cylinders.
Their success this season could be their downfall against Real Madrid. They've been fighting on three fronts for the past four to six weeks. Man City haven't, and neither have Real Madrid.
If Salah, Mane and I’m guessing Luis Diaz, are all firing, then I can see Liverpool running out comfortable winners. The problem there is that Mohamed Salah has been anything but firing lately.
He may have scored against Wolves last weekend, but I don’t think he’s anywhere near his best, or fully fit, at the moment.
Is Another Madrid Miracle on the Cards?
As for Real Madrid, in my view it's a miracle they're in this final. If they win the trophy on Saturday, it will either go down as the greatest triumph in history, or the luckiest win ever.
In truth it's probably down to a bit of both. Madrid have ridden their luck to no end, and they've also pulled off some remarkable wins.
I don't think it can be denied that a combination of PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City didn't kill them off though. All three left the door open, and with the quality Madrid does possess, they punished that trio of teams.
In all three of those ties, Real Madrid were second best for long periods of the matches.
In the case of PSG, they were outplayed for 150 of the 180 minutes. A crazy 30 minutes cost the Parisians that tie.
As for Chelsea, I lost count of the amount of chances the Blues missed across both legs.
And the Man City game should have been over after 45 minutes of the 1st leg, and it was all over after 89 minutes of the 2nd leg. Pep Guardiola must still wake up in the night having cold sweats thinking about that match.
2022 Champions League Final; Liverpool vs Real Madrid Match Betting
The latest Champions League betting shows Liverpool are the Even money favourites to win in 90 minutes. Madrid are 13/5, which is the same price as the draw.
In to lift the trophy betting, Liverpool are 1/2. While if you believe Madrid's name is already on it, they are 6/4.
90 Minutes Betting
To Lift The Trophy Betting
Over/Under 2.5 Goals Betting
Odds courtesy of Betfair Sportsbook, more details of this bookmaker can be found at our Betfair Review.
2022 Champions League Betting Tips and Preview
To win on Saturday, Liverpool will need to keep a close eye on a certain Real Madrid striker, and also disrupt the Los Blancos game plan.
Madrid have probably the most lethal finisher in world football playing for them at the moment. Karim Benzema (7/5 to score anytime) is just performing at another level.
They also have the up and coming talents of Vinícius Jr and Rodrygo, players who can rip anybody to shreds on a given night.
What they also seem to have, and this is what has got them to the final, is an ability to hang in there.
And then, when they get on the front foot, they seem to be able to put together 20 to 30 minutes of football that can just blow a team apart.
What Liverpool needs to do - for me - is either put Madrid away when they are on top, unlike PSG, Chelsea and Man City.
And Klopp’s team will have to also try and prevent Madrid from getting that head of steam up that enables them to blitz opponents in short bursts.
Mane the man to see Liverpool Home
For me, I feel Sadio Mane could be the key man for Liverpool. This could arguably be his last game for Liverpool. The Bayern Munich rumours haven’t gone away, and he is certainly not killing them off.
For the past few weeks he has been sensational for the Reds. I’m still in shock that he missed his penalty in the FA Cup Final, as he has just been so lethal from the spot in high pressure moments this season.
I feel he will have a large say on the night, and I like the look of him to score anytime at 17/10.
I’m going to go with what I believe to be the stronger and better side. I feel Liverpool should win, and I’m going to go with them to win in 90 minutes at Even money.