THE bookies don’t give Inter Milan a prayer tonight but if you’re looking for a Champions League miracle then Istanbul is the place to come.
Back in 2005, the Turkish capital was scene of the greatest Scouse comeback since Yosser Hughes put Graeme Souness in his place in Boys From The Black Stuff by saying: “You look like me, Magnum as well.”
Trailing 3-0 to Milan at half-time, Liverpool looked dead and buried but they somehow pulled level before winning a shoot-out to be crowned champions of Europe.
So if that’s possible then an Inter side boasting Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku and Edin Dzeko certainly stand a chance of beating Manchester City in a one-off game.
But the Serie A side are as big as 10/3 with McBookie to get their hands on the cup with the big ears tonight while the odds increase to 6/1 for a win inside 90 minutes.
That’s probably down to the way City have been swatting aside opponents on their march towards an historic treble.
They eventually eased past Arsenal to win the Premier League and had too much class last week for Manchester United in the FA Cup Final.
Now Pep Guardiola’s men stand on the brink of claiming the prize they cherish more than any other.
While the Catalan has turned City into the dominant domestic force, Europe has ultimately left him as perplexed as a Brexiteer sitting in his Union Jack mini for seven hours on the outskirts of Dover.
Everyone expected Guardiola to get the Champions League monkey off his back in the 2021 final, only for an ill-fated tactical tweak to backfire as City lost 1-0 to Chelsea.
He surely won’t make the same mistake tonight and is likely to field the same team that crushed Real Madrid in the semis.
And that’s why McBookie make City 1/5 red-hot favourites to finally lift the trophy, with their price for a win in 90 minutes not much better at 4/9.
If you want to get above evens for a bet on Guardiola’s side then backing them to be winning at half-time and full-time pays a best 5/4 with Coral.
I’m more drawn to betting on City in the corner markets as I’m expecting Simone Inzaghi to defend deep and tell his Inter players to pounce on the counter-attack.
Backing City at -3 in the handicap pays 27/25 with BetUK while Bet365 price over 6.5 corners for Guardiola’s side at evens.
Few players will be more motivated than Kevin De Bruyne tonight after concussion forced him to be subbed in the 2021 final.
The Belgian will hold the key to unlocking Inter’s defence and is always good value for an assist in big games. McBookie price him at 6/4 to set a goal up tonight.
Erling Haaland looks like the missing piece in Guardiola’s jigsaw and will be out to add to his incredible 58-goal haul for club and country this term.
It’s no surprise to see the Norwegian at a best 8/11 (Unibet) for anytime scorer but he’s 12/5 with Paddy Power to break the deadlock while McBookie have him at 17/4 to score with a header.
Inter head into the final in terrific form, having won 11 of their last 12 games, with the only defeat coming away to new Italian champions Napoli.
Inzaghi’s side managed to score in that 3-1 loss and haven’t drawn a blank since a shock 1-0 home loss to Monza in April.
That makes BTTS a good option for the Euro showpiece and it pays 66/67 with VBet.
You can also get great odds on Inter players just having a shot on target, with all their top guns close to Evens with Unibet.
Dzeko is at 13/10 and Lukaku 5/4, with Martinez a bit shorter at 17/20 as he’s the only one guaranteed to start.
Italian teams have already lost two Euro finals, with Roma and Fiorentina collecting a combined 11 yellow cards.
We could see more bad discipline as Inter try to stop the City juggernaut so it could pay to back Inzaghi’s players to fall foul of the ref.
Over 4.5 match cards looks good at 21/20 with McBookie while Inter -1 in the card handicap is tempting at 11/8 with Bet365.
Matteo Darmian could be up against Jack Grealish and is 12/5 (Bet365) to be carded.
Super singles
- City -3 corner handicap (27/25, BetUK)
- Inter -1 card handicap (11/8, Bet365)
- Martinez shot on target (17/20, Unibet)
- De Bruyne assist (6/4, McBookie)
I'm a sports journalist, football tipster and author from Dundee, who is now working in Glasgow. I've covered games at every level, from Junior football to internationals, and still love football even though it has clearly sold its soul. I've been in football tipping since 2018 with the MFT site.
