The UEFA Champions League (UCL) final, a “war of the stars” that will mark the end of European professional soccer for the 2022-2023 season, will be played in Turkkiye Istanbul on Nov. 11.
Manchester City (England) and Inter Milan (Italy) will battle it out for the coveted trophy. City, who won the English Premier League (EPL) and the Football Association (FA) Cup this season, will be looking to complete the ‘triple’. Inter Milan, the last Italian Serie A team to win the UCL, are looking to bring the big prize back to Italy after 13 years.
After defeating defending champions Real Madrid (Spain) in the quarterfinals, City will be looking to win their first title in two years after finishing runners-up in the 2020-2021 season. Inter Milan, who reached the final by winning the “Milan Derby” against semifinalist AC Milan (Italy), will be looking to win their fourth title in a row.
The media and fans are especially interested in City, who are on the verge of a historic treble. If they win the UCL, they will become only the second EPL club in history to win three titles, joining Manchester United in 1999. In Europe as a whole, there have only been nine such triumphs. City, who began building a “dynasty” in the EPL after being acquired by United Arab Emirates (UAE) tycoon Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2008, are just one win away from the feat of becoming a true “big name”.
Despite receiving relatively little attention, Inter Milan are a traditional Italian powerhouse that cannot be ignored. This season, the Nerazzurri are aiming to win the Coppa Italia (Italian Football Association Cup) followed by the UCL, their first triple crown since the 2009-2010 season. When they last won the UCL 13 years ago, it was Italy’s only treble. The club has won 19 Serie A titles and three UCL titles.
It will be a battle of spears and shields. City’s attacking threat comes from Kevin De Bruyne and Captain Ilkay Gundogan. They also have the firepower of one of the best strikers in Europe, Elling Holland. Inter Milan, on the other hand, are the home of the ‘bizarre defense’ and have reached the final thanks to their tight defensive organization. The toe of ‘The Fixer’, Lautaro Martinez, is also something to be wary of for City. The Nerazzurri are on a roll, with an 11-1-1 record in their last 12 official games.
The tactical battle between the two managers will also be interesting. Pep Guardiola is a ‘mastermind’ who has led Man City to five league titles in the last six years. He took the helm of City in 2016 after coaching FC Barcelona (Spain) and Bayern Munich (Germany), and has won two UCL titles with Barcelona. He hasn’t had much luck in the UCL at City, but he’s determined. Having already won the treble with Barcelona in the 2008-2009 season, Guardiola has the chance to become the first manager in history to win two trebles.안전놀이터
Compared to Guardiola, Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi is almost a god. Since taking over as acting manager at Lazio (Italy) in 2016, he has built a reputation for consistently good results and has been at the helm of Inter since 2021. He has yet to win a league title, but his leadership has been recognized with three Coppa Italia titles and four Coppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup) finishes.
The two teams have yet to meet in an official match. The first ever meeting will take place on the most important stage of all: the UCL final. It will be interesting to see if City can make history by completing the ‘treble’, or if Inter Milan can restore the pride of the club and the league after 13 years.