Betting Picks

Basketball, hockey, and baseball are among the myriad of sports betting available for all fans. The NBA final looks set between Boston and Los Angeles, as does the NHL final. Stanley Cup betting is available as the conference series wind down.  Another championship is will be decided in the next week in the Champions League. There is plenty of soccer betting to be had as one of the biggest matches of the year is about to take place.

The Champions League reaches its exciting conclusion with the final matchup between Bayern Munich and Internazionale.  Both teams have certainly earned their spot in the big game with impressive victories over some off the best teams in the world. Bayern beat Manchester United and Lyon on their way to the final, while Inter Milan ousted CSKA and Barcelona. It is an unexpected final between the titans of Germany and Italy, while the English and Spanish powerhouses have been felled.

The two teams will face off at Real Madrid’s stadium Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night in a match that has already begun off the field.  Van Gaal, manager of Bayern, has criticized Inter’s style of play leading up to the game, trying to gain a psychological advantage. He said about the manager of Inter, “”He trains to win. I train to play beautiful football and win. My way is more difficult.”

Aside from the barbs being thrown, Bayern will have confidence due to their recent successes against the Italian style of play. They beat Fiorentina and Juventus earlier this year, and may look to the same strategies and strengths to beat Inter.

In most respects the teams are even, but the backside of Bayern may prove to be the biggest key.  They have advanced through the tourney on away goals after getting scored on when up in the match. Inter has shown better defense and have the offensive prowess to get past Phillip Lahm, arguably the best defender of Bayern.

Van Gaal will have a nearly full squad at his disposal save for Frank Ribery, who will continue serving a suspension. Inter Milan, meanwhile, has no key injuries at this team and too will have a full squad.

Bayern last won the Champions League trophy in 2001, but Inter Milan has had a much longer drought; they have not won since 1965.

Betting lines: As expected, the game is very evenly matched with the betting lines reflecting the closeness of the game and the neutral field in which the game is being played.  The away team, Inter Milan, is a slight favourite over the designated home team Bayern. Milan has is at full strength and has arguably had a tougher path to follow to the final, beating last year’s winner Barca, as well as Chelsea in the early round. The game will be close but look for Internazionale to triumph and capture their first Champions League trophy in 45 years.