Manchester City (England) and Inter Milan (Italy) are battling it out for the ‘Big One’ trophy. Having won the English Premier League (EPL) and the English Football Association (FA) Cup this season, City will be looking to complete the ‘treble’. Inter Milan, the last Italian Serie A team to win the UCL, will be looking to bring the big prize back to Italy after a 13-year absence.
City, who defeated defending champions Real Madrid (Spain) in the quarter-finals, will be looking to win their first ever title after reaching the final two years after finishing runners-up in the 2020-2021 season. Inter Milan, who reached the final after winning the ‘Milan Derby’ against semi-finalists AC Milan (Italy), will be looking to win their fourth title in a row.메이저놀이터
Media and fan interest is particularly high for City, who are on the cusp of a historic treble. If they win the UCL, they will become only the second EPL club in history to win three titles, joining Manchester United in 1999. In Europe as a whole, there have been only nine such trebles. Having started to build a ‘dynasty’ in the EPL after being bought by United Arab Emirates (UAE) tycoon Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2008, City are just one win away from the feat of becoming a true ‘big name’.
Despite receiving relatively little attention, Inter Milan are a traditional Italian powerhouse that cannot be ignored. This season, the Nerazzurri are aiming to win the Coppa Italia (Italian Football Association Cup) followed by the UCL and become the first club to win multiple titles since the 2009-2010 season. When they last won the UCL 13 years ago, it was Italy’s only treble. The club has won 19 Serie A titles and three UCL titles in its history.
It will be a battle of spears and shields. City’s attacking threat comes from ‘Ace’ Kevin De Bruyne and ‘Captain’ Ilkay Gundogan. They also have the firepower of Europe’s best striker, Elling Holland. Inter Milan, on the other hand, are the home of the ‘bizarre defence’ and have reached the final thanks to their tight defensive organisation. The toe of ‘The Fixer’, Lautaro Martinez, is also something to be wary of for City. The Nerazzurri’s momentum is through the roof, with an 11-1 record in their last 12 official matches.
The tactical battle between the two managers will also be interesting. Pep Guardiola is a ‘mastermind’ who has won five league titles in the last six years with Man City. The former FC Barcelona (Spain) and Bayern Munich (Germany) manager took charge of City in 2016, having won two UCL titles with Barcelona. At City, he hasn’t had much luck in the UCL, but he is determined. Having already won the treble with Barcelona in the 2008-2009 season, Guardiola has the chance to become the first manager in history to win two trebles.
Compared to Guardiola, Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi is almost a god. Since taking over as acting manager at Lazio (Italy) in 2016, he has built a reputation for consistently good results and has been at the helm of Inter Milan since 2021. He has yet to win a league title, but his leadership has been recognised with three Coppa Italia titles and four Coppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup) finishes.
The two teams have yet to meet in an official match. The first ever meeting will take place on the most important stage of all, the UCL final. It will be interesting to see if City can make history by completing the ‘treble’ or if Inter Milan can lift the club and league after 13 years.