The Champions League wraps up on Saturday afternoon as Borussia Dortmund takes on Real Madrid in the final. The Spanish side is a massive -330 favorite to lift the trophy, while the German squad comes back at +250.
This is a neutral-site match, which kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET from Wembley Stadium in London. Below, I’ve narrowed in on two bets for the final, including plays on both the side and total. Let’s dive into the picks and analysis, finishing the year with a few winners!
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Champions League Final Preview & Best Bets (2024)
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Borussia Dortmund (+425) vs. Real Madrid (-160), DRAW (+310) | O/U 2.5 (-150/+115)
The oddsmakers aren’t giving Coach Edin Terzić and his BVB squad much of a chance in this one. Honestly, I feel like they’ve been counted out time and time again this campaign, but they’ve prevailed over and over. While it comes with a bit of a price tag, I will take the full goal with Dortmund at -145.
Everyone wants to point to Madrid as being a powerhouse, and while they’re very good, they haven’t been blowing out teams en route to the final. Carlo Ancelotti’s men have played UCL six matches since winning a pedestrian Group C, and they’re 2-4-0 over that stretch. Neither win came by multiple goals (1-0 vs. Leipzig, 2-1 vs. Bayern). I think this scrappy Dortmund side will manage to at least keep this game within a goal, if not push it to overtime or win outright.
Best Side Bet: Dortmund +1.0 (-145)
The main reason “Die Borussen” has made this run is their defense and goalkeeping. Gregor Kobel has been lights out this campaign, posting a league-leading six clean sheets. That includes blanking a high-octane Paris Saint-Germain team over both legs of an aggregate that finished 2-0 in favor of the German side.
As a whole, Dortmund has allowed just nine goals over 12 Champions League matches this term, which equates to only 0.75 goals against per game. They haven’t conceded two goals in any of the 12 contests. Terzić will have to lean on his stout defense in this contest if he wants a chance to raise the trophy. Luckily, this defense has proven worthy of that task, and they should be solid with plenty of preparation time.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the last five Champions League finals have all finished under this threshold of 2.5 goals. That includes a streak of four straight 1-0 matches. Personally, I think it’s all of the extra prep time that allows for defenses to be ready. I expect goals to be at a premium in this one, so I’ll play the under with a plus-money payout.
Best Total Bet: Under 2.5 (+115)
