The Champions League final is just a matter of days away and excitement is starting to grow for the latest edition of football’s most prestigious match. This year’s final will see first-time title hopefuls Manchester City pitted against three-time European Cup winners Inter Milan at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
Pep Guardiola’s side were last seen in the showpiece match in 2021 when they were stunned on their maiden final outing by Chelsea in Porto, but they are as short as 1/4 to finally achieve Sheik Mansour’s ultimate goal and lift the trophy in Turkey on June 10 according to the Man City vs Inter odds.
For I Nerazzurri, this is the first time they have been in the Champions League final since they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 under Jose Mourinho in 2010, and given they hadn’t progressed further than the quarter-finals in over a decade, Inter’s place in the final comes as something of a surprise.
The San Siro outfit are going to have their work cut out if they are going to upset the applecart and stun Manchester City in Istanbul, but this is a one-off match and anything can happen. So, let’s take a look at some of the key battles where this final could be won and lost for both sides.
Erling Haaland vs Inter’s defence
Where better to start than with Erling Haaland? The Norwegian goal machine has been just as lethal for Manchester City as many feared when he signed for the Premier League champions last summer and he is arguably the biggest danger for Inter Milan as he’s scored 12 goals in 10 Champions League games this campaign.
That’s why this is going to be a collective battle against the 22-year-old and not an individual one. Inter play a back three with wing-backs, which could allow the centre-backs to double up on Haaland in a bid to keep him at bay and they have a fantastic defensive record with eight clean sheets this campaign.
However, I Nerazzurri still need to be wary of Man City’s other threats as Real Madrid’s tactics silenced Haaland in the semi-finals but Guardiola’s men still ran riot with a 4-0 win in the second leg.
Kevin De Bruyne vs Nicolo Barella
While Haaland often claims all the plaudits, midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne is arguably still just as big of a component in this Manchester City side as the forward. The Belgian has been ripping teams to shreds with his pin-point accurate passes and crosses since 2015, but combined with Haaland, City might have found the winning formula to Champions League success.
European Championship and Serie A-winning midfielder Nicolo Barella is not going to want to give him the room to manoeuver. The 26-year-old has made 21 tackles, two interceptions and nine clearances in his 11 Champions League outings this season and can prove just as big of a threat going forward with three goals and completing 12 key passes.
Ruben Dias vs Lautaro Martinez
Like Inter, Man City will also likely play a back three and Ruben Dias at the heart of the defence will be a big factor on the night. The Portuguese centre-back moved to the Etihad in 2020 and has been solid as a rock as he’s helped the side win three-successive Premier League titles in that time. His stats in this season’s Champion League speak for themselves too, with 24 tackles, six interceptions, 20 clearances, eight blocks and seven clean sheets.
Lautaro Martinez appears to be the biggest danger to Dias and his fellow defenders in sky blue. The World Cup winner, who is also Inter Milan’s captain, has three goals and three assists in the Champions League this season — both scoring and assisting in games against Barcelona and Benfica, while his most recent strike came in the semi-final second leg against rivals AC Milan.
