You Bet | Wise punters expecting close Champions League final at Wembley

Tonight's first all-German final of the Champions League promises to be a high-quality, exciting match, and with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich having knocked out the cream of Spain in the semi-finals, it is difficult to dispute that the best two sides have reached Wembley.

Bayern are justifiably firm favourites as they approach their third final in four years, and they will be desperate to shed their "nearly" tag after losing to Inter Milan in 2010 and Chelsea on penalties last year. They were on home territory in last year's final yet still could not take advantage, which raises some doubt over their ability to handle the pressure.

Dortmund don't have the same pedigree as Bayern, who are appearing in their 10th final in Europe's leading club competition, but the underdogs won their only previous final in 1997. That side had a similar style and beat Juventus 3-1, and at their best, the current side are capable of matching that result.

This is the fourth final involving clubs from the same country, and it is interesting to note that the worst-placed team from the domestic league has triumphed in two of the previous three. And results from Germany also point to a closer match than the odds suggest.

Dortmund and Bayern have met four times this season, and while Bayern won both cup meetings by a single goal, the two league matches finished 1-1.

In the previous two seasons, Dortmund won all five matches against Bayern by an aggregate of 12 goals to three. Bayern have undoubtedly improved this season, with a runaway success in the Bundesliga, but it may be a mistake to jump to the conclusion that Dortmund have regressed.

Bayern are better equipped to contest competitions on all fronts, and almost from the start, Dortmund appeared to concentrate more on the Champions League. They had little choice, having been placed in the "group of death" that killed off Manchester City, and they responded superbly.