Manchester City and Inter Milan make the Champions League final – 09/06/2023 – Sport

Spanish coach Pep Guardiola started well: in 2008/09, in his first season as coach of Barcelona, ​​he won the Champions League. Earlier, in the same year, he had won the Spanish Championship and the Copa del Rey, making a treble.

This Saturday (10), he will try to repeat the feat, now for Manchester City. He has already won the Premier League and FA Cup this year and is playing in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.

The game will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, at 4 pm (Brasília time), broadcast on SBT, TNT and HBO Max.

City arrives as favorites for living the best sequence in its history. They have been English champions in five of the last six years. Under Guardiola, who joined the team in 2016, he has also won two editions of the FA Cup, two of the FA Super Cup and four of the English League Cup.

However, the blue team from Manchester never triumphed in the main European tournament. Guardiola led the team to its only final, in 2021, but lost to Chelsea, 1-0.

“We know we are a great team but to be recognized globally as one of the best you have to win the Champions League,” said defender Kyle Walker. “We have a second chance with Pep and the group of players who were there. We need to correct the mistakes we made against Chelsea.”

The Manchester team has Kevin De Bruyne in midfield and Haaland in attack. The 22-year-old Norwegian player scored 52 goals this season, 12 of which in the Champions League, five of them in a single match against Leipzig.

On the other hand, Inter has more history in the tournament, with three titles, and returns to dispute the cup after 13 years. In 2010, he lifted the trophy after beating Bayern 2-0.

Inter’s current attack is scored by Belgian Lukaku and Argentine Lautaro Martínez, who have scored six goals in 12 Champions League games, three for each.

The team finished the Italian Championship in third place, but comes from a good sequence: won 11 of the last 12 games and won the Italian Cup.

In the second phase of the Champions League, the Italian team conceded just three goals, leaving Porto, Benfica and arch-rivals Milan behind. City, on the other hand, went through a more challenging sequence: they beat Bayern and Real Madrid to reach the final.

The Inter coach recognizes the rival’s favoritism. “In modern football, there are before and after Guardiola. We have to be careful, we know we are up against the best, with a fantastic team and a coach who defined an era”, said Simone Inzaghi.

Guardiola also sought to praise the opponent. “A final against an Italian team is not the best gift, honestly. Inter are competitive,” he said.

Goalkeeper Ederson, from City, must be the only Brazilian on the pitch. At least with the ball rolling, since the singer Anitta will participate in the opening show.

Istanbul also hosted the Champions League final in 2005, with another duel between the Italians and the English. Milan, with the Brazilians Dida, Cafu and Kaká, faced Liverpool in a remarkable game: the Italian team opened 3-0 in the first half, but took the tie. The British won on penalties and took the cup.

The journalist traveled at the invitation of IATA