The 2021 Champions League Final Preview

Well we made it. It was a long season with COVID-19, the eventual rise and downfall of the Super League, and the cancelation of Euro 2020. But now that is all in the past. We are here. This Champions League Final should be interesting as we get a matchup between domestic rivals Manchester City and Chelsea.

Chelsea has been here before having won the Champions League, winning it in 2012, and having gotten second once. Manchester City on the other hand is entering their very first Champions League Final. This should not be a concern for many as they are regarded as one of the most talented teams in the world. Chelsea has won the last two matchups this year versus Manchester City, both games being fantastic.

Champions League Final Betting Odds

The odds I am using are on Bovada so please do not blame me if your sportsbook is different. First, the over-under is 2.25 (Asian Handicap). Chelsea to win the game in 90 minutes is +340 , Manchester City to win the game in 90 minutes is -115, and finally, a draw meaning getting to extra time is +240. You can also bet Chelsea +.5 at -115 meaning a draw or win in the 90 minutes would earn you money. One thing to know about soccer and the Champions League Final is this – always expect the unexpected. Heck my favorite team Tottenham Hotspur made the final in 2019 after beating Manchester City! However, now they are in a brutal rebuilding/reloading process that has many up in arms.

Another thing I love about soccer betting is the value. You see +value odds all over for soccer and that always excites me as a gambler. Well now that you know the matchup let’s go into more detail on the teams.

Manchester City the Chosen Ones?

Manchester City is led by manager Pep Guardiola who has won this trophy twice with Barcelona during 2009-2013. They are loaded with talent all over the pitch and they all play very selflessly trying to get others involved. The defense is anchored by Portuguese defender and possible Premier League Player of the year Rúben Dias who has transformed their defense into one of if not the best in the world.

In the midfield, they have one of the best central midfielders in the world in Kevin De Bruyne who has been a staple at Manchester for some time now and needs this last piece of hardware to have won it all. They also have one of the biggest surprises of the season İlkay Gündoğan who has exceeded expectations in Manchester this season. Then to finish it off they have a speedy attack of Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, and Riyad Mahrez. There are many others on this team as they have talent all across their bench. I would even argue that their backups would compete for top four in the EPL if they had their own team.

Journey to the Champions League Final Man City

The path that they had was maybe not the most difficult but they should be ready to compete with Chelsea. In the knockout round they were first put against Borussia Monchengladbach who they handled fairly easily winning 4-0 on aggregate.

The quarterfinals got interesting as they took on Borussia Dortmund and young superstar striker Erling Haaland. Haaland has been successful in the Champions League scoring 10 goals in 8 games. He also has been great domestically winning Bundesliga Player of the Year. This was not an easy matchup for Manchester City as they were tied 1-1 in the first leg. But then youngster Phil Foden got a last-second goal and Dortmund was devastated. They could not climb back from this deficit and lost 4-2 on aggregate.

The Midterm Test, PSG

Finally, in the semifinals, they were put against last year’s finalist PSG. This team just screams swag. They have two superstars in Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, both of who are considered top 5/10 players in the world. PSG were ready for the matchup having just beaten defending champions Bayern Munich and the only thing standing in their way was Manchester City. PSG started the first leg up 1-0 and they looked poised to continue their domination. However, soccer is a tale of two halves and in the second half PSG goalie Keylor Navas made two costly errors and they lost the game 2-1. Man City ended up advancing to the final winning 4-1 on aggregate.

If you are good at math you can see that Man City has really dominated this year and many think this is the year they finally put it together and finish the job. But as I said above with soccer expect the unexpected, and this year Chelsea has happened to be their Achilles heel.

The Disney Story Ending That Chelsea Need

Chelsea have had an interesting season with many ups and downs. They fired their manager at the midway point of the season and it looked gloomy. Step in Thomas Tuchel. The former PSG and Dortmund manager is the first manager ever to take two different teams in back-to-back seasons to the final. He has propelled Chelsea back into the top four and flipped the script on their entire season.

They do not have as much talent as Manchester City but they have some great players to form a squad around. The defense is anchored by center back Tiago Silva and goalie Mendy and ever since Tuchel stepped in the clean sheets have been a common theme. Where it gets interesting is their midfielders. Led by maybe the happiest guy in the world N’Golo Kanté. He is not the flashiest player but I believe he is the most important player in this matchup. He can dictate the whole game with his play and if I were a Manchester fan this is who I would fear the most.

Chelsea’s front line has a lot of talent and depth as well. The top players are Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount, and of course Captain America AKA Christian Pulisic. They have the talent up front to give Manchester City fits and they all work hard putting their opponents in difficult positions.

Chelsea is defined not by their players as much as their manager and Tuchel has made Chelsea winners again. The most important thing about Tuchel and Chelsea is one word, culture. The players have bought into the system and culture getting back to those winning ways at Chelsea.

Journey to the Champions League Final Chelsea

Chelsea in my opinion had the harder of schedules to reach the final. In the first round, they were matched up with Atlético Madrid and manager Diego Simeone. Atlético have been a hard matchup for most teams as they are one of the best defensive teams in Europe over the past decade. Under Simeone they have made the Champions League Final twice losing both times, however, he has won a Europa League Final showing his dominance on the European stage. Chelsea ended up winning 3-0 on aggregate but the talk of the leg was Olivier Giroud‘s beautiful goal.

In the quarterfinals, Chelsea was matched up versus FC Porto. Chelsea won this matchup 2-1 on aggregate but really it was in their hands the whole time. The only reason it was 2-1 was an acrobatic goal in the late stages of the second leg that ultimately would not help Porto move on.

One Final Obstacle, the Galácticos

Chelsea’s biggest test. Arguably the most historic soccer club in the world Real Madrid. No this is not the Real Madrid of old anchored by Cristiano Ronaldo. However, they still have talent all over the field and have most of the team remaining. The main players from former Champions League-winning teams were still there such as Ramos, Benzema, Modrić, Kroos, etc. They also added two great Belgium players in that time with goalie Courtois and central midfielder Eden Hazard. Hazard has not performed to expectations at Real Madrid but he is still known for his talent when the ball is at his feet. The first game was great and finished 1-1 and many were wondering who would prevail. In the second leg, Chelsea took over finishing the game 2-0 and winning 3-1 on aggregate.

Who Will Take Home the Hardware?

Chelsea is hot. They have beaten Manchester City in their last EPL game and FA Cup game. But do they have enough juice to finish the job? Now let me get this clear. I hate Manchester City. I hate that they have all this money and are able to do whatever they want and just dominate. As a Tottenham fan, I have waited for this moment for years but Manchester just flipped the script in a decade. They are the best team in the world right now. Looking at the odds I like the idea of Chelsea +340 but as a realist, I cannot see Pep Guardiola losing to the same team three times in a row.

Sadly I am going to take Manchester City -115. They are the best team in Europe this year and have proven it throughout the whole season. If you want a fun bet for a goal scorer I really like Phil Foden +240 to get a goal. I also like the over as I believe Manchester City will score first causing Chelsea to play out of their style.

Thanks for reading, please share this content with all and enjoy your Champions League Final/Memorial Day Weekend!

Final Bets

The Picks: Man City -115 ML, Over 2.25, and Phil Foden +240 anytime goal!

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