The final game of the European club soccer season has arrived, with the Champions League final marking the end of a unique 2022-2023 campaign that featured a World Cup in the middle of the season.
It's no surprise to see Man City representing half of the game, as the Cityzens came in to the season as Champions League favorites (+225). On the other hand, Inter Milan could've been had at a hefty price of (+10000) at the beginning of the year, with few expecting them to make this kind of run.
Coming into this fixture, City is a -425 favorite to lift the trophy while Inter are +330.
Read on to see how the Action Network's soccer experts are betting the Champions League final between Man City and Inter Milan.
Champions League Final Preview & Best Bets
Erling Haaland Anytime Goalscorer (-135 via FanDuel)
Saturday's match is the reason Erling Haaland was brought onto this Manchester City team. It wasn't to help them win another Premier League title or collect more FA Cup silverware. It is to get them over the hump in Europe and see the Cityzens lift their first Champions League trophy in club history.
Haaland has scored 52 goals in 52 games in all competitions during his historic debut season in England. He has dropped a bit out of form in the past month, though. The 22-year old has scored just twice in his last seven starts.
However, Haaland is still getting into great positions and finding chances at goal. He recorded 26 shots during that seven-game stretch, an average of 3.71 shots per game, which is higher than Haaland's shot/goal ratio of 3.29 shots this year.
That being the case, we should see positive regression from the Norwegian striker as he looks to cap off Manchester City's treble chase and our final bet of the 2022-23 season with his 53rd goal.
Man City -1 (-125 via Barstool Sportsbook)
It’s City’s time to finally show the world that they can win a Champions League title, and it’s Pep’s time to take home his second treble to cement his standing as one of the best managers ever. City are -210 (67.7% implied odds) to win this match in regular time, or in other words, are 67.7% likely to at least push against the spread at -1. While I’m confident City will win, I think they have serious potential to win by more than 1 goal.
All season, Man City have shown that for critical games they don’t only win, they blowout opponents. They beat Arsenal 4-1 as the EPL was concluding, they took down Madrid 4-0 in the second leg of the CL semifinal, they defeated Bayern 3-0 in the first leg of the CL quarterfinal and they clobbered Leipzig 7-0 in the second leg of the CL round of 16.
After Inter’s low scoring semifinal games against AC Milan, I really like City to outscore them by at least a goal.
Alessandro Bastoni to be Booked (+300 via bet365)
You can find Alessandro Bastoni at +300 to be booked in the final. He completed more passes than anyone on Inter in Serie A this season, which also makes him a vulnerable pressing target against City on Saturday. If he is consistently on the ball, he’s more likely to have a bad giveaway that results in a necessary tactical foul and eventual yellow card.
John Stones Over 0.5 Shots on Target (+250 via FanDuel)
Another prop I like is John Stones to record a shot on target at +250. Stones' ball progression and carrying ability was a massive element in both the Real Madrid and Manchester United matches. All attention will be on Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan as late runners and passers in and around the penalty area. Stones should have space just outside the area to operate too, and he’s always a danger for City on set plays too.
– Dabbundo
