2016 UEFA Champions League Final Betting Prediction

The 2015-16 UEFA Champions League Final is set and 10-time European Champs Real Madrid will be going against Spanish and City rivals Atletico Madrid in a scintillating winner-takes-all clash in Milan this coming Saturday. Diego Simeone’s Atleti are yet to win the Champions League title, but are regarded as solid soccer betting lines favorites to claim their first-ever crown in this blockbuster encounter, given their red-hot form this season. Will it be Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid lifting the team’s 11th Champions League trophy or will it be Antoine Griezmann and Atleti on the podium crowning their solid European campaign with a title? Here is an online betting preview of this Madrid Derby, complete with free Champions League soccer picks.

Atlético have kept 8 clean sheets in their 12 #UCL matches this season #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/x0rQLwmI5B

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 24, 2016

2016 UEFA Champions League Final Betting Prediction & Game Information

When: Saturday, May 28, 2:45 p.m. ETWhere: San Siro, Milan, ItalyTV: SkySports/ BT Sport EuropeSoccer Lines: Real to win (+225), Atletico to win (+138), Draw (+220)

Why Bet on Real Madrid

Despite putting up a valiant fight in the La Liga, the Los Blancos narrowly missed out the title, finishing second in the Spanish League standings, one point adrift of Barcelona. Zinedine Zidane’s squad can, however, take a lot of motivation from their strong title run, featuring a really strong second half of the season. In the Champions League, Real booked a place in the Final courtesy of 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Bernabeu after both teams recorded a 0-0 draw in England. Admittedly, Real have been far from their best in the Champions League this season, but this is a team that boasts of far-much superior and proven talent than Atleti, especially in the offense. Not to forget, Real have been the dominant club in this Champions League, having won the UEFA title 10 times in 13 appearances in the Final. With all that considered, you can therefore be sure that Zidane’s boys will be bringing their A-game this Saturday.

Why Bet on Atletico de Madrid

Like Real, Atletico had a strong run for the Spanish title, which saw them finish third in a very hotly-contested La Liga fight. Most notable, though, is the fact that the Rojiblancos have been super-impressive in the Champions League this year, as proven by their 2-2 aggregate wins over Barcelona and Bayer Munich in the Quarter-finals and Semi-finals, respectively. In addition, Atleti have been the dominant side in the recent Madrid Derbies, going undefeated against Real in their last six domestic meetings (Won 4, Drawn 2), including a 1-1 draw at Atletico on October 4th followed by a 1-0 at Real Madrid on February 27th in their two meetings this calendar year. And although Real have the most expensive and popular names on paper, Atleti have been the more clinical side, led by their Europe-best defense that laid waste to offensive talents like Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Lewandowski and Muller. The motivation of having such an accomplished defense, along with the fact that Atleti is a strong counter-attacking football and Diego Simeone is a tactical genius, should thus fuel this team to revenge the loss to Real in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final.

My Expert Predictions and Picks

Needless to say, Real will be the trendy pick in this game, given their strong reputation in the Champions League and the popularity of their world-class players like Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. And, to be sincere, it would not be a surprise if Real’s class shows in this game for a win by Zidane’s boys. That said, Atleti are arguably the more deserving side for the title, considering how they’ve been a disciplined and united team, on top of upsetting the odds to beat Barca and Bayern en route to the Final. Added to the fact that Atletico have been the more dominant of the two Madrid teams in their recent meetings, I’ll go with Simeone finally getting rewarded for his ingenious coaching with a very tight win for Atletico (+137).Final Score Prediction: Real Madrid 1 – Atletico Madrid 2.