We’ve come to the end of another season but fear not, footy fans – we’ve got the ultimate game to finish with. It’s the Champions League final on Saturday, with Manchester City set to go head-to-head with Inter Milan in Istanbul.
Will Pep Guardiola’s boys win the competition for the first time and secure an historic treble? Or can the Italian stallions upset the odds? Ahead of the big game, here’s everything you need to know.
The story so far
City comfortably secured their third consecutive Premier League title before seeing off Manchester United in the FA Cup final. They’re now looking to do what their fierce rivals managed in 1999 by going all the way in the Champions League to win a famous treble.
They were unplayable in the semi-finals, smashing holders Real Madrid 4-0 in the second leg of their semi-final tie. Guardiola also got the better of former side Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. But the Spaniard will need to find a way past Inter Milan in order to finally clinch City’s first Champions League.
Inter are still on a high from their semi-final triumph where they outwitted bitter rivals AC Milan over two legs. Simone Inzaghi led them to a third-place finish in Serie A, securing Champions League football for next season.
But they face a tough test against City to win the European Cup for the fourth time. Their older fans will remember them winning back-to-back titles in the ‘60s, while the fresher faced in their following will be hoping for a repeat of 2010.
Key players
If City do finally win the Champions League, you can bet that Erling Haaland will be involved. The Norwegian striker has scored 52 goals so far in his first season since joining from Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland has often looked unstoppable when being fed by the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish, while Ruben Dias and John Stones will fancy their chances of keeping Inter’s strikers at bay.
If anyone’s going to, it’ll be Lautaro Martinez who will want to add to the 28 goals he’s notched so far this term. Meanwhile, City old boy Edin Dzeko will be keen to get one over on his old side.
Inter’s squad is packed full of former Premier League players. Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian will be well aware of the threat that City pose.
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Enjoy some more OJO football content!
If you enjoyed our Champions League preview, why not check out some of our exclusive interviews with former footballers:
- Ahead of the Euros two years ago, we spoke to ex-England captain Terry Butcher about his career and his famous ‘bloody’ photo.
- John Barnes discussed the issue of racism in football, as well as his thoughts on former club Liverpool.
- Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham were all on the agenda in our chat with William Gallas.
- And another old Arsenal man was in the hotseat as Emmanuel Frimpong revealed all about the north London club.
