Man City vs Chelsea: Cityzens and Blues to clash in third all-English UCL final on May 29, 2021

Topics: TV Schedules, Manchester City, Chelsea, English Premier League

It's set to be the third-all English Champions League final in tournament history as Manchester City and Chelsea lock horns in Porto on Saturday, May 29th, 2021.

Preview: Manchester City vs Chelsea

For the third time in tournament history, two English teams will battle it out for the biggest prize in European club football: the Champions League. This will be the second such event since 2019, and the first since 2008. For Manchester City, it's their first ever appearance at this stage, although the Cityzens have featured in a European final previously. That was the 1969/1970 European Cup Winners' Cup final, when they beat Polish side Górnik Zabrze 2-1 in Vienna.

Of course, the stakes are much higher here as much has changed in the 51 years since then. Since Abu Dhabi United Group purchased the team in 2008 for over £200 million, no cost has been spared to bring City back not just to the pinnacle of English football, but also to join Europe's elite. Unfortunately, despite firmly establishing themselves among England's top sides, continental success has eluded the ambitious club.

That is, until now. Pep Guardiola's side are just, in theory, 90 minutes away from finally ending their long wait for continental glory. City have already dispatched two German sides: Borussia Moenchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund without much fuss, before seeing off last season's finalists, PSG in an exciting two-legged semi-final encounter. On the domestic front, Manchester City have also clinched several pieces of silverware, namely the Premier League, as well as the EFL Cup.

Meanwhile, City's upcoming opponents, Chelsea, will be seeking to win their second Champions League trophy and fourth overall European title. The Blues, who were beaten in the FA Cup final by Leicester City, will be hoping to win this trophy as it will represent the first piece of silverware for new coach Thomas Tuchel. Chelsea did endure a rather nervy end to the season, as they barely scraped into fourth spot; in fact, were it not for Tottenham's 4-2 win over Leicester, the Foxes would've pipped them to a place in that competition.

The Blues, in fact, lost three of their last four games coming into this match, if one includes the FA Cup final. Not exactly the way Tuchel would want his men to warm up, but when it comes to the Champions League, Chelsea have been pretty solid - especially on the defensive front. Overall, they've conceded just four times - but so have Manchester City - making for one very interesting tactical battle when the two sides meet up in Porto on Saturday evening.

Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain: An English team will return home with the coveted prize. The only question is whether it will be Chelsea for the second time, or Manchester City for the first time.

Team news: Manchester City vs Chelsea

Manchester City: Guardiola will be blessed with a full strength squad, as he has no major injury concerns ahead of Saturday's final. Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has shaken off a knock to join up with the squad, and it will be interesting to see what role all-time club top goal-scorer Sergio Aguero plays in what will be his final match for City.

Chelsea: On the opposite end of the pitch, Mateo Kovacic has finally recovered from a hamstring problem and should feature in the starting XI, alongside N'Golo Kante as the World Cup winner also should be fit in time for this crunch clash. That means that Jorginho will be demoted to the bench in the Croatian international's stead. Meanwhile, Tuchel will be hoping that first-choice shot-stopper Edouard Mendy will have recovered in time following his injury during the Aston Villa loss to resume his spot in between the posts.

Match facts: Manchester City vs Chelsea

This will be the third all English UCL final in competition history after 2008 (Manchester United vs Chelsea) and 2019 (Tottenham vs Liverpool)
There have been seven UCL finals in which both teams have been from the same association: 2000, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019
This will be the first European meeting between Manchester City and Chelsea in 50 years
City are the 42nd team to make the final and the third consecutive newcomers after Tottenham in 2019 and PSG in 2020
If the Cityzens win it, they'll become the 23rd new side to win and the first new team since Chelsea did so in 2012
Guardiola could become the sixth coach to win the UCL with two different clubs if he wins on Saturday
Both Chelse and City have conceded just four goals so far leading up to this final, and neither side have conceded more than one goal in a match in 2020/2021
This will be Chelsea's third UCL final; both of their previous finals were decided on penalties
City and Chelsea will be meeting for the fourth time this season
The Blues have won two of the prior three
City's record vs Chelsea: W58 D40 L68