Manchester City-Inter: two worlds in Istanbul | Sports

Fascinating Istanbul, a transcontinental city between Europe and Asia, is presented as a unique setting for a Champions League final that pits two worlds against each other: Manchester City-Inter Milan (9:00 p.m., Movistar and TVE-1). A full team that aspires to the triple crown after winning the Cup and the Premier against a squad of footballers that have been reborn and find themselves before a unique opportunity to conquer Europe. The most modern coach who has best metabolized the classics (Pep Guardiola) against a coach capable of surviving adversity with infinite patience and unique know-how (Simone Inzaghi). And a sheikh with a lot of money (Shekih Mansour bin Zayed) against a Chinese (Steven Zhang) with difficulties to support the Milan club. The resistance and competitiveness precisely make Inter one of the worst enemies for favorites like Haaland’s City.

The striker aspires to become the differential factor at the age of 22 according to his own declaration of intent: “City have already won all the trophies without me except for the Champions League.” Haaland has held back in the last seven games – he has scored just one goal – after counting 52 in a season in which he has surpassed the marks of England’s most accredited gunners. City’s challenge is to be continental champion for the first time, a finalist against Chelsea in 2021, while Guardiola intends to win his third title in his fourth final, a double winner with Barça (2009 and 2011) and loser in Porto (2021). The victory of the skyblue it would also mean they equaled the treble achieved in 1999 by their rivals United. A success only within reach before Celtic (1967), Ajax (1972), PSV (1980), Barça (2009 and 2015), Inter (2010) and Bayern Munich (2013).

The Italians have traveled camouflaged through the open part of the Champions League box. In the wake of Bayern, they left Barça out in the group stage and eliminated Porto, Benfica and Milan. The derby discovered the best Inter after going through bad times in March and April, when Inzaghi’s continuity was doubted. They already have 11 victories in the last 12 games and have won the Cup. They play by heart with the 3-5-2 and their depth of squad allows them to be a solid and homogeneous team, both physically and tactically, a candidate for victory since they started recovered the best version of Brozovic, Lautaro and Lukaku. Inter, a club that has already won the tournament three times, is packed to meet City in its sixth final.

The personality of the Nerazurri contrasts with the responsibility of the citizens before the appointment at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The last final played in Istanbul confirms the uncertainty: Liverpool came back three goals behind Liverpool in the penalty shootout (3-3) in 2005. Guardiola’s team is interested in controlling the tempo and avoiding overexcitement against a patient opponent and selective, more comfortable in a final than in a regular tournament like the League. Nobody disputes the superiority of Guardiola’s teams on a day-to-day basis if one takes into account that he has won five of the last six Premiers. The skyblues have many records and have gained maturity and voracity since they came back from 0-2 against Tottenham in January and began a climb that has taken them to the top of Istanbul. Guardiola, a radical Cruyffista, has evolved so much that he ended up also being inspired by Chapman’s WM at Arsenal.

City is today an author’s team while Inter happens to be the best representative of a system that is repeated forever and ever and normally always works in Italy. Italians come and go; The English recently arrived and have not stopped growing to become the most valued brand with 1,510 million above Madrid.

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