Saturday, June 10, is reserved for the UEFA Champions League finals in Istanbul, where Manchester City and Inter meet in the quest for glory. These two units have made it to the title battle, and they both want to make that one final step and conquer the continent. Inter already has three titles, while Man City still lacks the most prestigious trophy in club football. The English unit is a massive favorite according to the bookmakers, but as we all know, that doesn’t have to mean anything in games like this.
BetXchange brings a thorough preview of this event, so stay tuned.
🇹🇷🌅#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/JiXLregnCY
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 9, 2023
Manchester City VS Inter Milan Preview
Manchester City
Guardiola’s guys are brilliant. Man City has already won the Premier League and FA Cup, but if they don’t triumph in the battle for the European title, those two domestic trophies won’t matter. The UCL title is the Holy Grail for the Citizens who were always on the verge of winning this competition but somehow managed to lose those final few steps.
Man City defeated their city rivals, Man Utd, 2-1 in the FA Cup finals. The Citizens played with confidence, never letting the opponents settle in and ultimately dominating the match. Even when United leveled the score, it was obvious that the Premier League champions held everything in their hands.
With Erling Haaland’s flawless execution and ability to open up space for other forwards like Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, etc., Manchester City scored two or more goals in a vast majority of clashes in this calendar year. Lately, Gundogan, Silva, and the rest of the forwards have taken over the scoring duties from the Norwegian, who endures extreme pressure from the defenders but cleverly reacts, creating chances for teammates.
Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi and his crew have won 11 of their last 12 games and lost just one. They have been outstanding so far, defeating several top Italian teams and winning the Coppa Italia. We can say Inter’s form is at its peak at the best possible moment, thanks to its head coach.
Inter is playing unattractive football without creative solutions, mostly relying on its physical attributes and players who are perfectly prepared for stamina. That’s why they successfully transform from defense to offense quickly at any phase of the event. The defense has been erratic, but in those 12 games, it would allow only seven goals.
As a former striker, Inzaghi’s default mode is to pressure the rivals as soon as they enter the midfield area and then seek a quick transition if they take the ball. Also, like any other Italian team, they know to defend and create a block in front of their box, but they don’t use that frequently.
Head-to-Head Games
There weren’t any official meetings between these two units. Two friendly events were recorded back in 2010 and 2011, and each team won one game with the results being the same, 3-0.
Prediction
The Citizens dominate this season in every way, thanks to their flamboyant approach. We haven’t seen any team that even remotely looked like Man City during this campaign, particularly when it comes to scoring or submitting the rivals. Inter is strong, there is no doubt about that, but we can’t get rid of the impression that Nerazzurri had a very easy path toward the finals. So, our pick here will be Manchester City, not only to win but to do that while covering a -1.5 goal handicap.
Pick: Man City -1.5 13/10 at BetXchange
