It’s the biggest prize in club football and it is once again on the line! Man City and Inter Milan go to war inside the Atatürk Olympic Stadium for what could be the biggest and most memorable final we’ve seen in a while.
Inter Milan vs Manchester City
UEFA Champions League Final
Saturday 10 June – 19:00
Atatürk Olympic Stadium
Inter Milan have added the Suppercoppa Italiana and the Coppa Italia to their trophy cabinet this season and with the Champions League final still to be contested, they aren’t done yet!
Inter’s midfield pose the greatest threat to their English counterparts. The omnipresent Barella, the workhorse that is Brozovic and the tactician that is Çalhanoğlu comprise a formidable artillery.
Striker Martinez and Dzeko have appeared in each of Inter’s 12 UCL fixtures this term – not forgetting a former rival striker, Romelu Lukaku, who has bagged 3 goals across his 7 matches this term. There is also the attacking wing back Dimarco who could throw a spanner in the works.
On the domestic front, Simone Inzaghi’s men finished a respectable third – however, they registered 12 defeats in the Italian topflight. With that being said, the Nerazzurri have only lost 1 of their previous 17 fixtures across all competitions – indicative of their resurgent form which has put them in the spotlight.
So why stop now?
— Inter (@Inter) June 7, 2023
From Milano to the stars.
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Special thanks to @zoesaldana and her beautiful voice 🖤💙#ForzaInter #UCL #UCLFinal pic.twitter.com/9gqbQzICCS
To Win Match
Inter Milan 58/10 | Draw 37/10 | Manchester City 9/20
C'MON CITY! 💪#ManCity | #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/AwP4VwwhdI
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 8, 2023
The power house that is Manchester City flexed their European muscles all season long. Incredibly, City have avoided defeat in the Champions League this season and could become only the second team (since Manchester United, 2007/08) to achieve a full unbeaten UCL campaign?!
The defensive solidity they’ve shown has been nothing short of sensational. Across their 12 games, they’ve conceded just five times. A feat made more impressive when you consider that they’ve faced two of the last three winners of the competition, in the knockout rounds.
At the opposite end of the pitch, they have a hitman for the big stage. Whilst Erling Haaland has netted just once across his previous 4 UCL outings, he remains the spearhead of the top scorers in the Champions League this season (with 31 goals).
Personally, Haaland contributed 12 of those goals so far (among a total of 52 in all competitions during his sensational debut season in Manchester) which makes him the current top scorer in the Europe’s most coveted club competition.
On the domestic front, they played the role of the hunter for practically the entire season, before lifting their third consecutive Premier League title. Add downing their cross city rivals in the FA Cup final, last weekend, and we have a treble on the cards.
Predicted Line-ups:
Inter Milan: Onana, Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Martinez, Dzeko..
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Stones, Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne, Gündogan, Grealish, Haaland.
Verdict: Manchester City – 9/20
Away Champions League games have led to City’s demise in the tournament during recent seasons and is the leading reason why they haven’t lifted the trophy. This campaign for instance, they’ve seen victory just once on their travels, with that one coming last time out.
Apart from that, they have barely put a foot wrong all season. Despite this being the first ever meeting between Manchester City and Internazionale, I can’t see the Italians denying Guardiola his three-peat.
