Champions League Betting Update; Man Utd v Chelsea with the bookmakers making Man Utd their 6/4 favo

Added: (Mon May 19 2008)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Manchester United will be hoping to inflict a double heartache on Chelsea by adding the Champions League crown to the Premiership trophy in Moscow on Wednesday.

Winning a third European Cup would be particularly emotional for United exactly 50 years on from the Munich air disaster.

But the Blues are out to make history of their own by winning their first European Cup in their maiden final appearance.

Both sides edged through tense semi-finals, with United scraping past Barcelona 1-0 and Chelsea requiring extra-time to see off their old European nemesis Liverpool. The bookies make United slight favourites at 6/4 and given their European form this season it would be hard to disagree with the price.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are the only unbeaten side in the competition and should they prevail in the Luzhniki Stadium they would become only the fourth side in history to win the European Cup twice without losing a game.

Their full CL record reads: P12, W9, D3, L0, F19, A5. The 19 goals notched makes them the joint second most prolific side this season along with Arsenal and Chelsea (Liverpool have scored 29 goals, but 16 of these came in 3 group games).

But it’s the miserly defence that has been the cornerstone of United’s success this season. With just 5 goals conceded they are the tightest European defence of any side in the entire competition, including teams who were knocked out in the group stages onward.

They have gone 5 CL games without conceding a goal, encompassing both legs of the quarter and semi finals; the last time they shipped was the first-leg of the last 16.

And 3 consecutive wins (against Barcelona 1-0, West Ham 4-1 & Wigan 2-0), as well as capturing the title, is sure to send them to Russia in rude health.

Although not quite as impressive, Chelsea have still been extremely strong in Europe this term. Avram Grant’s side have only been defeated once in the competition and have only shipped 7 goals in 12 games themselves.

Since a 2-1 quarter-final reverse in Fenerbache, they have embarked on a 9 game unbeaten run which includes beating their opponents 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in April.

In fact, the Blues’ recent record over United will give them real cause for optimism. The Champions have won just 2 of their last 10 games against Chelsea, with a paltry 7 goals mustered during that time.

All in all, match odds are usually too unpredictable to get involved in with any assurity in a Manchester United vs Chelsea match, let alone in a Champions League Final.

Given that these are two of the best defences in Europe it would seem logical to get on under 2.5 goals. 4 of the last 5 meetings between the sides have seen less than 2.5, including two 0-0’s. Moreover, no United games since the group stages has yet to see over 2.5 (6 in a row) and just 2 of the Blues’ knockout ties have seen overs.

These 2 were also the stingiest back lines in the Premiership season, with just 48 goals in 76 games conceded between them. Given these figures, its not hard to see why the unders is backable.

For those who fancy a wager at a bigger price you could do much worse than back no booking at 16/1. Both sides have received 13 yellows and no red cards in Europe this season, making them by far the most disciplined sides in the competition. For United, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have yet to be booked in the CL which is a phenomenal achievement. They have received just 8 bookings in their 6 knockout games; 3 of these were for Nani, Darren Fletcher and Anderson, none of whom are likely to start on Wednesday. Fergie has also got his side running a tight ship away from home in Europe: they have yet to receive more than 1 booking in the away knockout fixtures.

Chelsea are even more stringent in recent matches, having only had 3 bookings in their last 4 games, including pressure cooker fixtures at Liverpool and Fenerbache.

If no bookings in 90 minutes of a tense final seems a little extreme, remember that 9 of their combined 24 games haven’t seen a yellow and a 16/1 price more than makes up for any misgivings.

Under 2.5 Goals, 8/15 Blue Square

No Booking, 16/1 ToteSport

• All prices correct at time of writing.

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