Champions League Final Betting Preview: Chelsea vs. Manchester United
For the first time in Soccer Betting history, the Champions League final will be an all-English affair as Manchester United and Chelsea meet on Wednesday in Moscow, Russia. The two Premier League squads know each other very well and Wednesday’s match promises to be a classic.
Manchester United is a -145 favorite with a total of 2 under at SBG Global. The three-way line has United +140, Chelsea +200 and the Draw +200.
There are big names on both sides as Manchester United has the world’s best player in Cristiano Ronaldo while Chelsea has big stars like Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack. It could come down to the goalkeepers. Manchester United has Edwin van Der Sar who has the experience edge while Chelsea has Petr Cech.
Defensively each side is superb. Chelsea has John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole and either Paulo Ferreira or Michael Essien. Cole was injured in training so his status could be a big factor on Wednesday’s match although he was able to jog off the field after training and will play. Manchester United has Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and either Wes Brown or Owen Hargreaves.
The offenses are very equal with the difference being the superstar capabilities of Ronaldo. He is supported by Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez so United has a small edge. Drogba doesn’t have nearly as much support. Another edge for Manchester United is manager Alex Ferguson. All he does is win. Avram Grant has done a nice job with Chelsea but Ferguson has won numerous titles and is thought of as the best manager in the world.
The weather for Wednesday’s game in Moscow is likely to be rainy with gusty winds and thunderstorms in the forecast. Looking at betting stats for Wednesday we see that since 2004-2005, Chelsea actually has 10 wins against Manchester United. United has 8 wins against Chelsea. 12 matches have ended in a draw. 7 of the last 10 meetings between the two teams have had two goals or less.
