Sports Desk: English champions Manchester City and Italian giants Inter Milan are facing each other in the final match of the UEFA Champions League on Saturday night. The high-voltage match will be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, at 1 PM Bangladesh time today. The Sony Ten 2 channel will broadcast live.
Judging by the way Manchester City have progressed to this year’s Champions League final, they are certainly favorites. Especially with City’s thrashing of Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final, many are betting on Guardiola’s side.
The biggest worry for the English champions is Inter’s confidence this season. The blue-blacks of San Siro were not favorites against Porto, Benfica, and Milan after reaching the last sixteen from Bayern and Barcelona’s groups. They will still play in today’s final, which is why Manchester City are frowning.
Manchester City, who are waiting for the treble, have not won the Champions League even once. This time, the first title is in front of them. On the other hand, Inter Milan has been the best in Europe three times before. After winning the trophy twice in a row in 1964 and 1965, in 2010, under star coach Josh Mourinho, they smiled for the third time. Now Inter have a chance to win their fourth title after 13 years.
The two teams bring back memories of the 2005 Champions Trophy final. These two teams are going to meet for the first time on the football stage. The 2005 final also saw Liverpool and AC Milan meet each other for the first time. Coincidentally, the final was also held at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
City now only need the Champions League trophy to prove themselves as the best. They have won the Premier League title seven times in the last 12 seasons. In continuation of this, last week they brought home the FA Cup trophy. All in all, they are one of the best clubs in world football. On the other hand, despite not winning Serie A, Inter finished this season with a double win. They have already won the Super Coppa and Coppa Italia titles.
The coaches of the two teams are also facing milestones. Guardiola has a chance to win the Champions League again after 12 years. Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi, however, has a different goal. Inzaghi has won many things in his seven-year career. In Italian football, he is known as the king of the cup.
All in all, the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul is a glimpse of sparks.
