Istanbul to host fierce clash between City and Inter

ISTANBUL

Manchester City is the huge favorite heading into June 10's Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul as Pep Guardiola's side aims to finally get its hands on the greatest prize in European club football, and complete a historic treble.

City has been building towards this moment ever since the transformative 2008 takeover of the club by the Abu Dhabi United Group.

It has become England's dominant force, winning seven Premier League titles in the last 12 seasons and following its latest triumph by claiming the FA Cup last weekend.

It has happened just as it has become the club with the greatest revenues in world football according to analyst Deloitte, with income of 731 million euros ($788 million) last season.

Question marks surround the club’s success, given that City was charged in February by the Premier League with 115 alleged breaches of its financial rules between 2009 and 2018.

In Europe, meanwhile, City was banned for two years from UEFA competitions in February 2020 for "serious financial fair-play breaches," but that sanction was overturned later by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Now it can match the achievement of Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in 1999 by beating Inter at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium and securing a treble.

Beaten finalist in 2021, City lost in last year's semifinals to Real Madrid, but the addition of Erling Haaland appears to have taken Guardiola's team to a new level.

The Norwegian has scored 52 goals since arriving from Borussia Dortmund, and City landed in Türkiye having been beaten just once in its last 27 games.

City has not lost in Europe this season and dished out heavy beatings to RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Madrid in the knockout rounds.

So there is surely nothing to fear in the final against the third-best team in Italy, except perhaps the team’s own past demons in crucial Champions League games.

"We've still not won it yet," warned Kevin De Bruyne.

"I've been here eight years and it's been incredible. Could I come here and think about all the amount of games and trophies we would win in eight years?

Probably not. But it is something we have not won yet and it is something that we want to win. Hopefully it will be Saturday."

Yet as Guardiola eyes what would be the third Champions League of his career, City cannot overlook the threat of an Inter team that qualified from its group ahead of Barcelona before seeing off Porto, Benfica and city rival AC Milan.

It has maybe not faced a team of City's caliber, but Inter has a clear Cup pedigree, having recently retained the Coppa Italia.

Inter players know what they are up against, not least veteran 37-year-old forward Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian played for City between 2011 and 2016.

He has scored 14 goals this season and has been an excellent foil for Inter's star forward, Lautaro Martinez.

Simone Inzaghi's side may not have as many superstars as City, but it has a grizzled back line, dangerous wing-backs and a hard-working midfield in which Nicolo Barella excels.

"We're talking about a football match, there's no fear," said Inzaghi, who was appointed in 2021 after the Nerazzurri had won Serie A under Antonio Conte.

Defender Alessandro Bastoni added: "You are scared of murderers, not football players. It would be a mistake to talk about fear."