£10 million bet on Champions’ League final

Next week sees one of the biggest events in the football universe, where giants Chelsea and Manchester United will meet to do battle in Moscow for the Champions League Final.

This is a historic match since it is the first time that two English teams have made it to the final.

50,000 UK fans are expected to make the trip to the Russian capital.  Many have come up against visa problems, as agents – seeing a golden opportunity – have bumped up the price of the essential travel documents.

So huge is anticipation for the game that William Hill, one of the UK’s biggest bookmakers, is expecting £10 million to be bet on the Final.

They explain the surprising level of interest by the combination of an exciting match and the fact that England will not be participating in this summer’s Euro 2008.  Deprived of the usual biannual summer football fest, fans are laying all their hopes and excitement on the Moscow match.

Besides betting on the outcome, odds are also available on the final score and on whether manager Avram Grant will leave Chelsea after the final.

The stakes are high for both Man United boss Alex Ferguson and for Avram Grant.  Grant, who has been the Chelsea manager since September, has led his team to their first ever appearance in the Champions League Final. Ferguson's side are still on a high from winning the UK Premiership last week and are hoping to carry on through to take the double.

Betfair are offering odds of 2.6 for Man Utd, 3.15 for Chelsea and 3.05 for a draw.