Liverpool have booked a date with Real Madrid in the Champions League final after a relatively stress-free night in Rome. Mike Norman has the details…
“Madrid are currently trading at [1.82] in the Champions League Winner market, while Liverpool can be backed at [2.22].”
Liverpool will face Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League final after both clubs came through their semi-finals in contrasting styles.
The Reds, who led 5-2 from last week’s first leg at Anfield, knew that they couldn’t take a Roma side that defeated Barcelona 3-0 on home soil in the quarter final lightly, and they were on the back foot in the opening stages as the Italians strived for a fast start.
But a cool Sadio Mane finish inside 10 minutes after Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan had gave the ball away increased Liverpool’s aggregate lead to four, and although a freak own goal just minutes later from James Milner gave the Italian side a glimmer of hope, Georginio Wijnaldum‘s headed goal just before the half hour mark effectively killed the tie.
Edin Dzeko scored early in the second half to make the game 2-2 on the night, but Roma still required three goals just to take the game to extra-time.
Nainggolan made it 3-2 to the home side in the dying minutes before making it 4-2 – a scoreline that was matched at [200.0] in the Correct Score market – with a last-minute controversial penalty, but Klopp’s men were never really in danger of sacrificing their first-leg lead.
Madrid scrape past Bayern
It was a far more difficult path to the final for Real Madrid however, who were held to a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Bernabeu on Tuesday night, meaning a 4-3 aggregate win, though the Bundesliga side can count themselves extremely unfortunate not to get the third away goal they needed to progress after enjoying long periods of dominance.
The Spanish giants are chasing a hat-trick of Champions League titles after lifting the trophy in the last two seasons, but on current form it’s hard to argue conclusively that they should be favourites to get the better of Liverpool in Kiev later this month.
Madrid are currently trading at [1.82] in the Champions League Winner market – matched at a high of [25.0] – while Liverpool can be backed at [2.22] having been matched at a high of [44.0] earlier in the season.
Reds lead the head-to-head
Perhaps surprisingly Liverpool and Real Madrid have met only five times in European competition and it’s the Reds that hold a slender advantage.
Twelve-times European champions Madrid won both the home and away ties in the group stage of the 2014/15 campaign, but perhaps more importantly Liverpool have won all three knock-out matches, winning 5-0 on aggregate (4-0 & 1-0) at the round of 16 stage in 2009, and 1-0 in Paris in the 1981 final which saw them lift the trophy.
*This year’s Champions League final will take place in the Olympic Stadium, Kiev, 19:45 BST, on Saturday 26 May.
Source: Betfair Champions League
