Table of Contents
Manchester City Overview
In 1968, Manchester City embarked on their inaugural trip to Istanbul, marking their first-ever visit to the Turkish city. Fast forward 55 years, and Pep Guardiola’s team has once again set foot in Istanbul, this time for their second appearance in the Champions League final with inter within a span of three years. The highly-anticipated match against Italian giants Inter awaits them at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
With aspirations of clinching their maiden Champions League title, Manchester City aims to etch their name on the prestigious trophy. However, this isn’t their first encounter with the bustling metropolis that straddles both Europe and Asia.
Following their triumph in the First Division during the 1967/68 season, Manchester City secured a spot in the European Cup for the very first time. Their path led them to a challenging knockout tie against Fenerbahce. Regrettably, the Blues fell short in that two-legged battle, but the experience itself left a lasting impression on goalkeeper Harry Dowd, making it a cherished memory.
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER: INTER’S HISTORY IN FINALS
On Saturday, June 10, Inter will be participating in their sixth European Cup/Champions League final. The Nerazzurri have been triumphant in lifting the prestigious trophy on three occasions. In fact, the upcoming match at the Atatürk Stadium will mark Inter’s 11th European final overall.
Interestingly, Inter and Manchester City have never met in an official match before. Furthermore, this will be the first time in Inter’s history that they will face an English team in a European final.
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SPIRITED INTER
Throughout this year’s Champions League campaign, Inter has showcased remarkable spirit and determination, consistently displaying grit and aggression on the field. Some noteworthy statistics further emphasize their tenacity: Inter leads the competition in tackles made with 129, ranks second with 600 duels won, and holds the third position in interceptions with 114 and defensive recoveries with 684. These numbers truly highlight Inter’s extraordinary performance in Europe.
CLEAN SHEETS
Inter has impressively kept a clean sheet in eight out of their 12 matches in this season’s Champions League, including five shutouts in the knockout phase. The record for the most clean sheets in the knockout stages belongs to Arsenal, who achieved six clean sheets in the 2005/06 season.
A notable statistic worth mentioning is the contribution of André Onana, Inter’s goalkeeper. Onana stands out as the only player in this Champions League edition to have played all 1080 minutes available in the competition. Moreover, he has been statistically the most effective shot-stopper, conceding only 9 goals out of an expected 16.8 xG, resulting in an improvement of 7.8.
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TORO IN FINALS
Lautaro Martínez has been instrumental in Inter Milan’s success, particularly in finals. He has scored four goals in five final matches across all competitions. In the current season, he found the back of the net in both the Supercoppa clash against AC Milan and the Coppa Italia final against Fiorentina.
By scoring in the second leg of the semi-final against AC Milan, Lautaro has reached a milestone of 10 goals for Inter in the Champions League, placing him in the top 5 scorers in Nerazzurri history. Ahead of him are Adriano (14), Cruz (13), and Crespo (11), while he shares the same goal tally with Samuel Eto’o (10).
BIG ROM ON FIRE
Despite playing only 144 minutes in this season’s Champions League, Romelu Lukaku has made a significant impact for Inter. Surprisingly, he has yet to start a match. However, the talented Belgian striker stands out as the only Inter player to have either scored or provided an assist in every round he has appeared in. He netted a goal during the group stage, another in the round of 16, one in the quarter-finals, and contributed with an assist in the semi-final.
Furthermore, as of early April, both Lukaku and his striking partner Lautaro Martínez have been involved in the most goals among players in the five major European leagues across all competitions. Each of them has been part of 15 goals: Lautaro has scored 11 goals and provided four assists, while Lukaku has notched nine goals and contributed six assists. Trailing closely behind them is Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who has registered 10 goals and four assists during the same period.
THE REFEREE
The referee appointed for the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 final between Manchester City and Inter is Szymon Marciniak from Poland. Assisting him will be Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, while István Kovács will be the fourth official. The VAR (Video Assistant Referee) role will be fulfilled by Tomasz Kwiatkowski, with Bartosz Frankowski serving as the Assistant VAR.
Manchester City’s Journey to the Final
Manchester City has only appeared in two previous major European finals, beating Polish side Gornik Zabrze 2-1 in the 1970 Cup Winners’ Cup and losing to Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final. However, this season, they have been in excellent form, reaching the final after beating Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
City has been dominant in the Premier League, winning the title by a comfortable margin. They have a talented squad, with players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, and Phil Foden leading the way. De Bruyne, in particular, has been instrumental in getting his team to the final, producing key moments in the semifinal first leg against Real Madrid.
Inter Milan’s Journey to the Final
Inter Milan, on the other hand, has won the UEFA Champions League three times, in 1964, 1965, and 2010. They have had a relatively easy route to the final, beating teams such as Shakhtar Donetsk, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Inter Milan has been impressive in this competition, and they will be hoping to cause an upset and beat Manchester City. They have a talented squad, with players such as Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko, and Romelu Lukaku leading the way. Martinez has been in excellent form, scoring 11 times in his past 13 games.
Key Duels and Tactics
The final promises to be a fascinating tactical battle between two excellent teams. Manchester City is known for their possession-based style of play, while Inter Milan is likely to play a more defensive game, looking to hit City on the counter-attack.
One key duel to watch out for is between De Bruyne and Martinez. De Bruyne is the heartbeat of Guardiola’s Manchester City side, and he has produced key moments to get his team to the final. Martinez, on the other hand, has been in excellent form and is a player that Manchester City needs to be most wary of.
Another key factor in the game could be Inter Milan’s deployment of a front two. City has faced a front two on eight occasions in the league this season, winning five, drawing one, and losing two. It will be interesting to see how they cope with Inter’s attacking threat.
Predictions
Manchester City is the favorite to win the final, but Inter Milan is a talented team that could cause an upset. The game is likely to be a tight affair, with both teams looking to win their first Champions League title in several years.
Overall, the final promises to be an exciting match between two European giants. It will be interesting to see how the game unfolds and which team comes out on top.
