On Saturday, Manchester City will have the chance to finally etch their name in Champions League history as they face Inter Milan in Istanbul. After falling short several times in the past, City will strive to emulate their Manchester United counterparts’ feats and win a famous Treble. The Premier League champions will take on the ultimate underdogs, Inter Milan, who have hugely improved during the second half of this season and have gained a reputation as one of the continent’s fiercest cup teams.
Manchester City’s run through to Istanbul has been pretty serene, with Guardiola’s side yet to taste defeat in their 12 outings. They obliterated holders Real Madrid 5-1 over two legs in the semi-finals to punch their ticket to the showpiece event. To be crowned champions of Europe, City will have to defeat an Inter side who are in outstanding form, bursting with confidence, and well-organized under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi.
Inzaghi has built a big-game tournament-conquering machine in Milan, with the Nerazzurri capturing the Coppa Italia in recent weeks. However, ultimately, this iteration of City is both the most ruthless and technically secure in the Guardiola era. They don’t make daft errors, they don’t open themselves up in transition, and they have a freak of nature putting the ball in the net. This should be the year Manchester City finally conquer Europe.
In conclusion, 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. Manchester City will surely never have a better chance of winning the Champions League, and in turn a famous Treble. It’s been a fantastic season for Man City, who will also be hoping this caps off a Treble, becoming just the second English men’s side to achieve that feat after bitter rivals Manchester United in 1999. Inter, meanwhile, are in the Champions League final for the first time since 2010 when, of course, they won the competition for the third time. Victory here would mean that just five teams have won the Champions League more times than Inter, also closing the gap on rivals AC Milan to three Champions Leagues.
