Inter, a team from Serie A, will play treble-contender Manchester City on Saturday in Istanbul with the goal of reliving their heroics from 2010 and securing their spot in the Champions League for this year. Inter will attempt to do this by beating Manchester City.
After losing the title to Chelsea in the 2020-21 season, Manchester City will be attempting to win the Champions League for the 2nd time in the span of three seasons. Pep Guardiola has created what is essentially an unbeatable team for Manchester City. As a result of the raised level of team chemistry that the Catalan manager has instilled within his players, City has a good chance of winning both the Premier League title and the F.A. Cup this year.
While Arsenal appeared to be clear favorites to win the Premier League title, City’s charge never faltered and they never lost momentum. The Cityzens have never before in their history been able to win the Champions League. They came very close to winning the championship two years ago against Chelsea in the final, but Kai Havertz’s goal put their celebrations on hold until an indefinitely later date. However, this could be the season in which City finally win a European accolade after a lengthy drought.
After defeating their in-city rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final by a score of 2-1, Manchester City will head into the final of the Champions League with some momentum. Pep Guardiola heavily rotated his starting lineup in both of his team’s most recent Premier League matches, which resulted in a draw and a loss. However, the primary reason for these results was that Guardiola wanted his players to be as fit as possible for the two upcoming finals.
In the meantime, Inter are gearing up for the Champions League final against Manchester City by working on their resolve and tenacity in preparation for what will likely be a difficult matchup.
The current Inter manager, Simone Inzaghi, will be looking to cement his legacy alongside that of Jose Mourinho, who was the most recent Inter manager to lead the team to the champions league finals and win the treble. Even though the Italian manager will not be able to win a treble in his career, he and his players can still accomplish great things by triumphing over the favorites in their competition.
The Nerazzurri have already won the Supercoppa Italiana against their local rivals Milan and the Coppa Italia against Fiorentina. Both of these victories came earlier this season. They are expected to have no mental qualms about competing in the championship tomorrow, but the scale of the competition in Istanbul far outweighs the preparations made for any other championship match.
If Inter prevails in the championship game, it will have the opportunity to bring Italian football back from the brink of extinction. They are facing an uphill battle for sure, and it is anticipated that they will put their faith in their defense to keep City out for as long as they can, but goals win games. It will be fascinating to observe the three-time Champions as they go up against Pep’s formidable team and see how they choose to play the game.
Team News
It appears that Pep Guardiola will have his entire roster available for the game, but there is still some uncertainty regarding the participation of right back Kyle Walker after the manager mentioned that the player was having back problems.
After Ederson’s replacement in goal by Stefan Ortega in the FA Cup final, Ederson will get his chance to play again. Both Ilkay Gundogan and Erling Haaland will be looking to make their mark as they are currently on a tear in their respective seasons.
According to reports, Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is in a race against the clock to be evaluated for fitness in time for the championship match.
Edin Dzeko is going to start alongside Lautaro Martinez in the forward position. After suffering a minor injury during the match against Fiorentina, Joaquin Correa will be available off the bench.
Because it is possible that this game will be the last time that Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij play for the Nerazzurri, the two defenders will do their best to make it a match that will live long in the memory.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester City : Ederson; Walker, Ruben Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Jack Grealish; Haaland
Inter : Andre Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko
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