Assessing who will win the UEFA Champions League Final?
After a season full of ups and downs, goals and cards, only two teams are left standing in the UEFA Champions League.
English Premier League side Manchester City will take on Italian Serie A outfit Inter Milan, with both sides very different in how they play, but both supremely talented teams.
With just one game standing between the two teams and immortality, which side will stand triumphant in the final in Istanbul? Bets.co.za assesses the chances of the final two contenders.
Manchester City
Manchester City have been the best team in Europe this season, and they are fully deserving of their place in the Champions League final.
Wins over Bayern Munich (4-1) and Real Madrid (5-1) in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively has seen England’s best side beat the best team in Germany and the reigning European champions.
On the field they have been incredible. Pep Guardiola has championed a fearless nature when on the ball, with the entire team comfortable picking up possession and looking for the next pass.
This was best shown by centre-half John Stones continually finding himself in central-midfield in the game, driving at the Real Madrid defence and looking for the right pass. Gone are the days where the defender would stay at the heart of the defence and simply look to smash the ball forward when he had it.
From front to back, City have match winners on the field. Real had a small handful of chances, but when goalkeeper Ederson was called upon, he came up with some big saves. At the other end of the pitch, Erling Haaland failed to score in either game, but he provided a powerful outlet up front when needed, while his pace and vision created space for others.
With the likes of Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish all playing incredibly well on the ball and creating space constantly, City have a team that is currently playing with an intensity and intelligence that few others can match.
Guardiola does not really seem to need to think long and hard about what his best team is anymore, with this City side currently clear at the top as the best in the world.
Inter Milan
The stage was set for Inter Milan to have to brace for a storm in their derby clash with AC Milan in the second-leg of their semi-final, with the latter 2-0 down and chasing the game. However, this storm did not ever materialise, and this was down to the intelligence and guile of Inter.
AC Milan could only muster a single shot on target in the second-leg as they went down 1-0 as they were beaten 3-0 on aggregate. Once again, Inter were strong at the back as they were able to put on a tactical masterclass to keep their dangerous opponents at bay.
Their frontline of Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko have no shortage of experience, while Romelu Lukaku coming off the bench provides a powerful problem for teams to have to deal with.
Their five-man midfield when they have the ball provides options, while they can quickly revert to a five-at-the-back when they are defending in true Italian style.
The final against City will likely proceed with them seeing little of the ball, but this will not worry the Italians. Inter have become adept at creating chances and scoring goals by moving it intelligently and quickly after defending powerfully.
If Inter can score the first goal against City, then we will likely see a real attack against defence drill in the final, with Inter happy to let City play with the ball as they look to break.
Of course, Inter have not come up against a side like City this season, but a major European final can do strange things to a side, especially when the favourites have not ever won the trophy.
If the two teams play to their capacity, then this will be an entertaining game that City will win. The English side are the favourites, but this will not be a comfortable game for them as they look to finally secure the Champions League crown.
