It's the big one tonight - the Champions League final...

Man Utd take on Barcelona in Rome, live on ITV1 and Sky Sports 1 at
7.45pm.

The bookies have gone into overdrive today, with literally hundreds
of stats markets and 'specials' bets available. You can bet on
everything from which goalkeeper will touch the ball first to what
football clichés the commentators will come out with!

I've gone through all the main stats categories below, using the
latest form and our season-long Champions League data - and
highlighted the best bets. You can view the full Team Stats for
Barcelona and Man Utd at our website:

www.ChampionsLeagueBet.co.uk

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Let's take a look at the standout stats...

Barcelona v Manchester United

TONIGHT - Wed 27th May, 7.45pm
Live on ITV and Sky Sports
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Referee: Massimo Busacca

To Lift The Trophy:

Barcelona - Evens (2.00)      Man Utd - Evens (2.00)

There's no clear favourite to win tonight, with little difference
in the bookies' 90 minutes match odds. In fact, both teams can be
backed at the same price to win the trophy outright. Barcelona are
Evens with Stan James, Paddy Power and Blue Square - while Man Utd
are also Evens, at Coral.

MATCH RESULT:

The top 2 teams in Europe...

Both teams have won their domestic leagues this season, and both
have been successful across the board in 2008/9...

Barcelona are bidding to win an unprecedented Spanish 'treble' - La
Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League. And Man Utd are looking
for a 'quadruple,' having already lifted the Premier League and
Carling Cup in England this season - and also won the World Club
Championships.

Both teams have played 12 games to reach the Champions League
final...

·         Man Utd have won 6, drawn 6 and lost none - making them the
only unbeaten side in this year's competition

·         Barcelona have won 6, drawn 5 and lost 1

It's worth pointing out that some of those drawn games (and
Barcelona's defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk) came in Group games, where
the 'win' was not needed in order to reach the next stage.

Both teams have also got superior Goal Difference. Put simply,
these stats show that Barcelona score more goals - but Man Utd
defend better:

·         Man Utd = scored 18 goals and conceded 6

·         Barcelona = scored 30 and conceded 13

Man Utd's favourite score-line...

Man Utd played Barcelona in the Semi Finals last season, drawing 0-
0 in Spain and winning 1-0 at Old Trafford...

The '1-0 win' has been Man Utd's most frequent score-line in recent
Champions League 'knockout' games. They won 1-0 on 3 occasions in
the knockout stages last season, and have posted 2 more 1-0 wins in
big games at Porto and at home to Arsenal this season.

• William Hill offer 8/1 for a 1-0 Man Utd 'Correct Score' this
  evening

Barcelona's record against Premier League teams...

It's also worth looking at Barcelona's recent record against
Premier League teams:

Last season they failed to score against Man Utd over 2 legs in
Semi Finals. And in this season's Semi Final against Chelsea,
Barcelona didn't find the net in 180 minutes of 'normal time'
either - eventually getting the goal that put them in to the final
in 'time added on' at the end of the game.

• 3 of those 4 games were draws

Last year's Champions League final was a draw in normal time
(Chelsea 1 Man Utd 1), and the stats suggest tonight's game will
very close, too.

If you're betting on the Match Result market, you'll find the best
odds here:

http://odds.sportsbettingxtra.co.uk/football/champions-league/final/

GOALS:

The stats don't highlight a clear 'Over or Under' bet here. Bets on
Over 2.5 Goals have paid in 7 out of 12 Barcelona Champions League
games this season, while bets on Under 2.5 Goals have paid out in
the same number of Man Utd games.

·         Barcelona games have averaged 3.6 goals per game

·         Man Utd games have averaged 2.0 goals per game

In Spain's La Liga, Barcelona games have averaged 3.73 goals per
game this season. And Man Utd's Premier League fixtures have
averaged 2.42 goals per game.

Barcelona have scored stacks of goals in Spain and in the Champions
League this season. But as mentioned above, they don't have a great
scoring record against Premier League opposition.

And it's worth noting that Man Utd have only conceded 6 goals in
the Champions League all season - and won the competition having
only conceded 6 goals last season.

Just like the Match Result market, this looks a close call.
Barcelona have excellent goal-scoring form - and Man Utd have a
superb defensive record.

Under 2.5 Goals is 8/11 (1.73) tonight - and Over 2.5 Goals is
11/10 (2.10). If you're betting on this market, you'll find the
best odds here:

http://odds.sportsbettingxtra.co.uk/football/champions-league/final/

CORNERS:

The teams are also closely matched on the 'Most Corners' stats...

Barcelona have won the Most Corners in 66% of their Champions
League games this season (8 out of 12). And Man Utd's record is
exactly the same - 66%. There's also nothing between them on this
season's Champions League corners averages...

·         Barcelona = 6.7 Corners For and 3.0 Corners Against

·         Man Utd = 6.7 Corners For and 3.6 Corners Against

It's no surprise then that most bookies give both teams a 'zero'
Corner Handicap tonight - Barcelona and Man Utd can both be backed
at Evens or better to win the Most Corners, with the corners 'tie'
at 7/1.

The stats don't support a bet one way or the other there - much
will depend on what happens in the game and which team 'needs' to
go forward in search of a goal.

'Low' Corners stats...

In terms of the 'Over and Under' corners stats, Under 10.5 Corners
is the best supported option. Half of Man Utd's games have gone
'Under 10.5 Corners' and so have a higher percentage of Barcelona's
(66%).

And as the above For and Against figures show, both teams' games
average less than 10.5 corners per game.

Most bookies offer 11/10+ (2.10+) for Under 10 Corners tonight, and
some are going as low as Under 9 Corners. The stats don't suggest a
'high' corner total, so a bet on 'Under 10' is the best option -
and for added 'safety' you can also cover '10-12 Corners'...

BOOKING POINTS:

The last 3 Champions League finals have all had at least 40 Booking
Points in 90 minutes 'normal time' - and tonight bookies are
offering bets on 'Over 30 Points'...

Barcelona's stats point to a 'high' total - 9 of their 12 games
have gone 'Over 35 Booking Points' this season, with games
averaging 53.7 points.

Man Utd's figures are lower, though - with games averaging 31.7
Booking Points.

• When the teams met in the Semi Finals last season, there were
  50 points (5 yellow cards) in the 'crunch match' - the 2nd Leg at
  Old Trafford.

Both teams' most recent Champions League games went well 'Over' 35
Booking Points. There were 55 points in Man Utd's 2nd Leg against
Arsenal, and 95 points in Barcelona's game at Chelsea.

Most bookies use this 'Booking Points' system:

Yellow Card = 10 pts, Red Card = 25 pts.
Most one player get can get in a game = 35 pts.

'Total Cards' (Bet365):

Yellow Card = 1 Card, Red Card = 2 Cards.
Most one player can get in a game = 3 Cards.

The big game is live on ITV1 and Sky Sports 1 tonight - and kick
off is 7.45pm. And you can follow all the Corners, Goals and
Booking Points stats live on our website. Just head to the
Scoreboard on the homepage at:

www.ChampionsLeagueBet.co.uk

Log In with your Password: *******

Enjoy the final - and good luck.

Matt Nesbitt

Champions League Profit Service
www.ChampionsLeagueBet.co.uk
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