Steve Starr
- BetOnline favors Manchester City over Chelsea in UEFA Champions League Final
- The match will take place in Istanbul on May 29 despite Turkey currently being in lockdown
- Thomas Tuchel is the first manager to reach the European Cup final in consecutive seasons with different clubs.
After dominating the Premier League and going undefeated in Champions League play this season, Manchester City is the favorite to win its first-ever European Cup, but their opponents in Chelsea have only been defeated twice since Thomas Tuchel took charge in mid season.
The Champions League final will be contested by two English teams for only the third time, also occurring in 2008 (Chelsea vs Manchester United) and 2019 (Liverpool vs Tottenham).
Let’s look at the odds on the matchup and make betting predictions on who will be crowned the champions of Europe. You can also find Champions League betting tips in our 2021 soccer betting guide here.
2021 UEFA Champions League Final
 | Handicap | Moneyline | Total |
| Manchester City | -0.5 (-115) | -115 | 2.5 -109o |
| Chelsea | +0.5 (-105) | +285 | 2.5 -111u |
| Draw | +235 |
Chelsea vs. Manchester City
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola ended a run of four consecutive Champions League semi-final eliminations by dispatching last year’s runner-ups Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-1 win in Paris and 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.
City are the first English side to win 11 games in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign and are currently on the longest winning streak by an English team in tournament history with victories in their past seven Champions League matches.
Chelsea are going to the Champions League Final to face Manchester City 🏴 🏆 pic.twitter.com/01cNFR45tT
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 5, 2021
In the other semi-final, the Blues put together a dominant second-leg to dispatch Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate to reach their third Champions League final.
Having also led PSG to the final in 2019/20, Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel is the first manager to reach the European Cup/Champions League final in consecutive seasons with different clubs – although he’ll hope for a different result this time around.
Bet on the Blues
These clubs have met twice this season, with each side notching a victory. However, Man City’s win came against a Chelsea side coached by Frank Lampard, while the Blues 1-0 win came in the FA Cup semi-final in mid-April – which set up a FA Cup showdown with Leicester City on May 15 in Wembley Stadium. Interestingly, they’ll meet again in Premier League action this Saturday, but it’s fair to assume neither side will want to tip off their strategy.
In 11 seasons as a first-team boss, Guardiola has lifted eight league titles, but his last two UEFA Champions League wins came in 2011 and he has developed a reputation for overthinking things in big games, most recently getting outwitted by Tuchel in the FA Cup semifinal.
Thomas Tuchel has now beaten Zidane, Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho, Ancelotti and Simeone (2x).
They didnt concede a single goal in those seven matches. pic.twitter.com/GFUF8KnQZt
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 5, 2021
The German coach, meanwhile, has turned Chelsea into a defensive juggernaut since taking over in January. After capturing back-to-back titles in France with Paris and reaching the Champions League final last season, we believe Tuchel will stay red-hot in leading his Blues to an upset win over Manchester City on May 29.
The Pick: Chelsea (+285 at BetOnline)
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