UCL Final
Footballs showpiece
The UEFA Champions League is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout format, and a single leg final.
Preview:
Eighteen years on from Liverpool’s miracle of Istanbul, treble-chasing Manchester City will fight to emulate their Merseyside rivals’ feats in the same city when they tangle with Inter Milan in the final of the 2022-23 Champions League on Saturday night.
The two continental behemoths clash for the first time in competitive action at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on the back of differing domestic fortunes, as Pep Guardiola added another two English football trophies to his cabinet, while the Nerazzurri’s title charge in Serie A was fleeting at best.
The Premier League champions obliterated holders Real Madrid 5-1 over two legs in the semi-finals to punch their ticket to the showpiece event, while Inter earned the local bragging rights with a 3-0 aggregate triumph over fellow San Siro tenants AC Milan.
Betting Predictions:
Man City win @1/2
Over 2.5 Goals @4/5
Bet Builder:
Match Result Man City
Haaland Over 1.5 Shots on Target
De Bruyne Over 0.5 Shots on Target
Gundogan to Score Anytime
Both Teams to Receive a Card – Yes
Over 1 Goal
Over 7 Corners
Total Odds @20/1 at time of posting
Team News:
The Manchester City medical staff have largely been allowed to put their feet up ahead of the final, although a minor concern for Kyle Walker was recently reported by Pep Guardiola, who confessed that the right-back had been experiencing trouble with his back.
However, Walker himself has since alleviated concerns regarding his fitness, and the England international should form part of a fully-fit contingent for the Citizens, whose starting XI surely picks itself in Istanbul.
As for the Nerazzurri, Argentine forward Joaquin Correa, picked up a calf issue against Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia final, although a spot on the bench will await the 28-year-old if he is given the green light to make the journey.
Indeed, Inzaghi appears to have settled on Martinez and Dzeko as his established strike pairing for crunch matches – meaning that misfiring Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku will also aim to provide impetus from the bench before he bids farewell for a second time – while Mkhitaryan may force Marcelo Brozovic out of the XI if he can prove his fitness.
Manchester City predicted starting 11:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland
Inter Milan predicted starting 11:
Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Martinez, Dzeko
Head-to-head record
Incredibly, Saturday’s final will represent the maiden competitive showdown between Man City and Inter in any competition, with the two sides only locking horns in two friendly matches down the years.
A couple of months on from their 2010 Champions League final triumph, Inter put three past Man City without reply in the Pirelli Cup, where Victor Obinna and now-Fiorentina left-back Cristiano Biraghi were on target alongside a Joleon Lescott own goal.
One year later, the Citizens avenged that loss with their own 3-0 friendly win in Dublin – during which Dzeko netted against his current club alongside another former Nerazzurri marksman in Mario Balotelli.
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