After 124 games including qualifiers, the 125th clash in the UEFA Champions League will determine the winner of the most popular and competitive tournament in club football. Manchester City and Inter Milan have reached this tie with different forms but with one objective in mind: to call themselves winners of the 2022-23 edition of this tournament.
Manchester City, who lead the polls to win this title, made it to the title match after winning Group G with four wins and two draws. Their road to the final included eliminating RB Leipzig (8-1), Bayern München(4-1), and 2022 UCL winners Real Madrid (5-1). The team led by Pep Guardiola has not lost a single game in this competition, and they will want to keep it that way to win their first-ever Champions League title after losing the 2020-21 edition to Chelsea.
Three-time UEFA Champions League winners Internazionale will be trying to end Manchester City's title hopes, even if they have to go against all odds to win the crown. Inter made it to this stage by finishing second in Group C behind Bayern and despite losing two games in the group stage. Once in the KO ties, Inter were able to defend their ground against Porto (1-0), Benfica (5-3), and bitter rivals Milan (3-0), giving Inzaghi's men a chance to fight for the title. The team's defensive prowess in the tournament will come in handy for the nerazzurri, who will want to repeat the feat accomplished by Jose Mourinho and Co. back in 2010, when they claimed a two-nil win over Bayern.
The game is set to be played in Istanbul, where 18 years ago, Liverpool and Milan faced each other with the 2005 UCL title on the line. Back then, the Italian side dropped a three-goal lead to see Liverpool lifting the cup. Will things go the same way this time?
Here are some interesting facts to keep an eye on before this match kicks off.
Manchester City vs Inter Milan - Team news
The English club makes it to this tie in high spirits after winning the Premier League and the FA Cup last weekend, which means that a win here could cap an epic treble performance this season. Pep Guardiola's team will be able to field his most talented squad for this game in whichever tactical approach he chooses, as key defender Nathan Aké has returned to their training sessions and even enjoyed playing time in their win against Manchester United. When it comes to individual performances, all eyes will be set on two names: Erling Haaland, the top scorer in the competition, and Kevin De Bruyne, the man who has set up six goals for the Cityzens in this tournament.
Regarding Inter Milan, the club recently lifted the Coppa Italia title and finished third in Serie A, giving them an ego boost prior to this match. Simone Inzaghi has turned into a serial cup winner with Inter, leading them to two Coppa Italia crowns and two Supercoppa Italiana wins in consecutive years, which means he knows how to get things done in do-or-die games. Inter may also experience some changes to hold Manchester City's impressive attack, but when it comes to scoring goals, the attacking trio of Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martínez, and Romelu Lukaku will pose quite a threat against the English club.
Unfortunately, there are some players that may not be able to play this match due to different issues. Here are the names of the footballers that might end up watching the game from the stands.
Manchester City - Doubtful: Kyle Walker. Injured: Zack Steffen.
Inter Milan - Doubtful: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Joaquín Correa.
Manchester City vs Inter Milan - Head-to-head
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This will be the first competitive match between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
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Manchester City's record against Italian teams in European tournaments shows 6 wins, six draws, and four losses, the most recent of those against Juventus in November 2015.
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This will be the first KO stage match for Manchester City against an Italian rival since 1978, when they defeated AC Milan.
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Inter will become Manchester City's sixth Italian rival in European competitions. The others were Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli, Roma, and Atalanta.
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The nerazzurri will play their 39th game in European tournaments against English clubs. Their record shows 15 wins, six draws, and 17 defeats.
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Manchester City will become Inter's 14th English rivals in European competitions.
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Inter's most recent KO stage tie against an English rival saw them being eliminated by Tottenham from the UEFA Europa League. The tie ended with a 4-4 aggregate, but away goals gave Spurs the spot in the subsequent round.
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Pep Guardiola will face Inter for the fifth time in his career. All of them came when he coached Barcelona, and he led the Blaugrana club to two wins, one draw, and one loss.
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Simone Inzaghi will face Manchester City and Pep Guardiola for the first time in his career.
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Pep Guardiola will try to join Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, and Bob Paisley as the only managers to win three or more UEFA CL titles.
Broadcast info: Manchester City vs Inter Milan
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.