The UEFA Champions League Final promises to be a captivating match. Manchester City are chasing a treble of trophies after winning the English Premier League and the FA Cup, and are hoping to finally secure European glory after a series of near-misses in recent years.
Despite coming into the match as underdogs, Inter can fall back on their previous UEFA Champions League Final success in 2010 as a source of inspiration, as they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 to become the only Italian side to win a treble.
We caught up with Bet9ja Ambassador Victor Ikpeba, about the tactics and key battles that will likely decide the match.
Attack vs Defence
VI: It is quite clear that this is going to be a classic matchup of one team doing most of the attacking, and one doing most of the defending. Manchester City are so good at keeping the ball and creating chances that you cannot afford to give their players space to run into, so expect Inter to sit deep, attempt to soak up chances and hit City on the counter.
City’s system allows Pep Guardiola to field players like Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne all at once. These are the kind of players who combine with each other very well in the middle of the pitch, which means that their star man and difference maker Erling Haaland just has to focus on staying in the box and taking the chances that come his way. If Inter try and go toe-to-toe with them in midfield it will only end badly for them. City are just too good.
Breaking City’s Composure
VI: Inter are going to hope that they can stay in the game long enough for City to lose a bit of composure and confidence. They’re going to have their backs to the wall for a lot of this match and will need a bit of luck to go their way, and if City take the lead early then they’ll have to completely change their tactics and risk conceding more if they end up chasing the game.
Inter On The Counter
VI: Former Manchester City man Edin Dzeko is likely to start up front for Inter. Despite his age, he still possesses the same ability to sniff out a chance if the ball comes his way – he’ll need to bring his shooting boots on Saturday because there will be long periods where he won’t see much of the ball.
Romelu Lukaku is a great option to have off the bench, too. He can be inconsistent with his finishing but his speed and strength have caused City problems in the past. I’m sure that Inter boss Simone Inzaghi will have looked at teams like Brentford, who also play with five at the back and created real issues for Manchester City’s defence this season with direct football. This will surely be Inter’s best chance to cause an upset
Who do you think will win the UEFA Champions League Final this weekend? Bet here at Bet9ja!
