Man City vs Inter Milan preview
It all comes down to this after a season of trials and tribulations, happiness and despair. Manchester City face Inter Milan in the biggest game in club football- The UEFA Champions League Final on June 10, 8 PM BST at the iconic Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
Manchester City are chasing footballing immortality with the promise of being on the esteemed list of teams that have won the treble. On the other hand, Inter Milan would think it is a fairytale season already with their finals appearance. However, no team comes to this stage and is grateful only. Despite being underdogs for this one, the Nerazzurri will be determined to play the game of their lives and cause an upset.
Here’s the Man City vs Inter Milan prediction, team news, lineups, and more as the build-up to club football’s marquee game continues
Man City vs Inter Milan lineups
Man City predicted lineup
The last time Manchester City played a UCL final, Pep Guardiola bamboozled everyone by playing without a defensive midfielder as his team was upset by Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea. However, this City team have a settled look and are in an ominous stride.
John Stones’ reinvention as a defensive midfielder, coupled with Ilkay Gundogan finding his usual crunch-time shooting boots have made this side a force to be reckoned with.
Therefore, the Cityzens‘ team can be predicted to a tee for the first time in Pep’s era.
Ederson will be in goal, with Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji starting ahead of him in a back three.
The double pivot of John Stones and Rodri will continue their exploits ahead of the three defenders.
The attacking quarter of Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, and Jack Grealish all add something different to City’s game and they will be led by Erling Haaland. The Norwegian was quiet in the FA Cup final against Manchester United so Inter Milan could be facing his wrath in this one.
Predicted Man City lineup: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Stones; Rodri, Silva; De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland
Inter Milan predicted lineup
Despite having not as deep a squad as Manchester City (Who does, really?), Inter Milan are lucky with a couple of injured players set to make their return.
Chief among them will be Henrick Mkhitaryan. The Armenian has found a new lease on life at Inter Milan and scored in the semifinal against AC Milan. He will be crucial here again. Joaquin Correa is the other returnee.
Andre Onana will start in goal. He has confirmed his first-choice credentials after a string of sterling performances, relegating long-serving Samir Handanovic to the bench.
Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni are surefire starters in defence. Simone Inzaghi might opt for Stefan de Vrij instead of Matteo Darmian as the third centre-back for his physicality and more than Darmian.
Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries will be the wing-backs, being tasked with finding spaces around Stones and Rodri in the attack.
The midfield three should be Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Nicolo Barella. Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be itching to make an impact off the bench as he returns from injury.
There’s a decision to be made in attack. Lautaro Martinez’s place is secure and his form justifies that status. His strike partner is a toss-up between Romelu Lukaku and Edin Dzeko. Inzaghi might just go with Dzeko for his big-game nous and general reliability when called upon. Lukaku running beyond the last man against tired legs could be a game-changing sub for Inter Milan.
Predicted Inter Milan lineup: Onana; Acerbi, Bastoni, De Vrij; , Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford
Man City vs Inter Milan predictions
Despite Inter Milan’s UCL Finals record, this fixture is being pegged as one of the most one-sided finals of all time. Manchester City are rampant, and the treble at the end of the road is too big a prize. Inter Milan have done very well to reach this far, but in terms of squad quality and depth, Manchester City are head and shoulders above.
Then again, a similar narrative surrounded the final when Tuchel’s Chelsea faced Manchester City in the 2021 final. The moral of the story is, anything can happen in a one-off game. A counterattack here, a mistake there, and all of a sudden an upset is on the cards.
Having said that, it still feels foolish to look past Manchester City for this one. Inter’s win would be an upset for the ages.
FootTheBall predicts: Manchester City 3-1 Inter Milan