English champions Manchester City will be hunting for their first UEFA Champions League crown on Saturday against an experienced Inter Milan side that has won the coveted trophy thrice.
City's manager, Pep Guardiola, is hoping to become the sixth head coach to win the Champions League trophy while in charge of at least two different football clubs.
Guardiola, a highly respected and successful manager in the modern era, last won the Champions League in 2011 when he was in charge of his boyhood club, Barcelona. He had also won the trophy with the same club in the 2008/09 season.
Match details
• When: Saturday, June 10 (21:00 CET kick-off, 22:00 local time)
• Where: Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Türkiye
Inter Milan may have struggled for consistency in the local Italian Serie A, but in the Champions League they have earned their spurs.
Emerging from a pool christened the “Group of Death” – boasting of heavyweights such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich – Inter stunned FC Porto, Benfica and crosstown rivals, AC Milan, en route to the final.
The Italian side kept five clean sheets in the six knockout-phase encounters on their way to the grand finale.
Litmus test
For Guardiola, a football genius who has coached the best teams in the world, the Inter Milan encounter poses a great test on his illustrious managerial career.
Both Guardiola and Inter Milan head coach, Simone Inzaghi, are confident that their respective teams will emerge victorious in the mouthwatering clash in Istanbul,
In pre-match interviews on Friday, the two managers, however, exhibited utmost respect for each other.
Guardiola said: "When you reach the final of the Champions League, you have to celebrate. A final against an Italian team is not always the best gift, honestly. Inter is competitive. We have to prepare mentally."
On his part, Inzaghi said: "For us, it was a dream [reaching the final], but we have always believed in it. I'm proud to be here. We deserve everything that we have achieved. And now the dream to play in the final has come true."
Ilkay Gundogan, a Manchester City player who has Turkish roots, will come face-to-face with Hakan Calhanoglu, an attacking midfielder who plays for Inter Milan and the Turkish national team.
Line up
Man City: Ederson; Walker; Ruben Dias, Ake; Stones, Rodri; Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland.
Inter: Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko.
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