After defeating PSG (2-0) in the semifinal, Borussia Dortmund will look to win it's second Champions League title on Saturday. To do so, they will need to take down European giants Real Madrid. For Real Madrid, a win would give them a 16th Champions League title, putting them 8 titles ahead of AC Milan (8) and 9 titles ahead of Liverpool (7) and Bayern Munich (7).
There will be no shortage of storylines when these two teams square off in the Champions League Final on Saturday. Here are a few that stand out to us:
Farewell Toni Kroos: The 34-year-old has been one of the best midfielders on the planet for more than a decade. Kroos has 4 Champions League titles, 4 LaLiga titles, 3 Bundesliga titles (Bayern Munich), and won the 2014 World Cup with Germany.
Hello Jude Bellingham: The 20-year-old midfielder left Dortmund last summer and has already established himself as one of the best young players in the world. He has 4 goals and 4 assists in 10 Champions League games.
Andriy Lunin Out: The Ukranian goalkeeper announced that he was not traveling with the team. With Lunin out, Thibaut Courtois is now set to start in goal for Real Madrid. This will be Courtois' first Champions League game of the season, but he won a title with Real Madrid in 2021-22.
Defend and Counter: There is no hiding the path to victory for Dortmund. They must play an identical game to what carried them past PSG. Sit deep, defend, and counter. If Dortmund's defense can hold, a quick strike from Sancho, Adeyemi, or Fullkrug could be the difference.
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It should come as no surprise that Real Madrid are heavy betting favorites at -330 odds. Borussia Dortmund enter as +250 underdogs.
Looking at the regular time odds, Real Madrid is priced at -160 to win in regulation, Borussia Dortmund sit at +425, and a regular time draw is priced at +320.
We are not predicting an upset on Saturday and expect this to be a low scoring win for Real Madrid. Find our best bet and favorite prop bets (including first goal scorer) below.
We have our game script and are sticking to it. Rather than just play Real Madrid regular time at -160, we are combining that bet with under 3.5 total goals to get to +145.
Dortmund did hold PSG scoreless in two matches, but we don't think that style will work facing the LaLiga champs on the biggest stage. That said, don't look for Dortmund to abandon it's counter attacking style if they are down just 1 goal.
Having scored 5 goals in 9 Champions League games, Vini enters the final in form and will clearly be the focus of Dortmund's defense. We think he strikes first and puts Real Madrid in the driver's seat early in the game.
Bellingham has 4 goals and 4 assists in 10 Champions League games and we think he is destined to find a way to contribute in the final. Be sure to shop the odds for this bet, DraftKings has it at -110 but a better price may be available by gametime.
If you are looking for a bet with even longer odds, this boost from ESPN Bet stands out as an intriguing option. Vinicius Junior has 28 attempts (12 on target) in 9 games, and Bellingham has 22 attempts (7 on target) in 10 games. Far from a lock, but you wouldn't expect it to be with a price of +700.