Manchester City will be favorites against Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday. Ataturk Olympic Stadium will host the first competitive match between the two continental giants due to their disparate domestic fortunes. Pep Guardiola won two more English football medals to his collection, while the Nerazzurri’s Serie A championship challenge was at best brief. The Premier League champions defeated Real Madrid 5-1 over the course of two legs in the semi-finals to go to the championship game, while Inter defeated fellow San Siro tenants AC Milan 3-0 overall to claim the local bragging rights.
Guardiola’s list of domestic triumphs at the Etihad is inexhaustible, and in 2022–23 he will add another Premier League title and an FA Cup victory to his impressive resume. However, the desired continental honor has continually evaded him ever since he left the luxury of Camp Nou. Guardiola has never advanced Man City past the quarterfinals of Europe’s top tournament before the 2020–21 season, and as spectators gradually returned to the stadiums after the untold disruption caused by COVID–19, the recurrent Premier League champions had come near, but not quite.
Man City was defeated by the Real Madrid juggernaut in the 2021-22 semifinals thanks to Kai Havertz’s lone goal for Chelsea. However, revenge was best served with a side of four unanswered goals when they met again at the same stage this time.
Manchester City predicted lineup vs Inter Milan
GK: Ederson – For the FA Cup final, backup custodian Stefan Ortega had a rare start, and to his credit, he performed admirably both defensively and offensively. But Ederson, the player of choice, may anticipate returning to the starting lineup.
CB: Kyle Walker – Walker’s absence from at least one training session since their FA Cup victory due to a back issue was disclosed by Guardiola during a news conference on Tuesday. Later on, though, the 33-year-old made a joke about how he was “getting old” and said that this was only a precaution instead.
CB: Ruben Dias – Due to a hamstring issue and Guardiola’s overall rotation, the Portugal international missed a significant portion of the middle of the season, but he has since recovered to be his intimidating all-action best in the closing stages of the campaign.
CB: Manuel Akanji – Walker’s resurgence suggests that just one of Akanji and Nathan Ake will likely get the ball at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. Due to his superior match fitness, the Swiss defender may have an edge over his Dutch rival.
DM: John Stones – Stones’ playing time has been well allocated throughout the season, and he appears as sharp as anybody on City’s roster going into their arduous season’s last match. He made a strong impression during their FA Cup triumph, and he now has the role of Swiss army knife.
DM: Rodri – In the victory over Manchester United at Wembley, he appeared to be on his last legs and nearly collapsed in the second half. Guardiola will likely make one last attempt to win the triple, as you can guess.
RM: Bernardo Silva – Silva, another player who has just recently established himself as a regular starter for City, was the star of the rout of Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg. Barcelona and PSG have both expressed interest in him, and rumours of a transfer have persisted.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne – During City’s 2021 Champions League final defeat to Chelsea, the Belgian sustained fractures to his nose and eye socket. His team should have more than enough to win if he can avoid such a severe injury in Istanbul.
AM: Ilkay Gundogan – Few players have improved their reputation as much in recent months as skipper Gundogan has. His most recent feats of valour, a game-winning brace in the FA Cup final, made it possible for City to still win the triple.
LM: Jack Grealish – It was perhaps unlucky to give up a penalty the last time. greatly enhanced in his second year with the club.
CF: Erling Haaland – Haaland has 52 goals for Man City in 52 games as of the season’s last contest. With a fantastic performance in a Champions League final, his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or will increase significantly.
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