One. Two. And soon three? After winning the title of champion of England, under the nose and beard of Arsenal, then the FA Cup against their Mancunian rival last Saturday (2-1), Manchester City has the opportunity, this Saturday (9 p.m.) in Istanbul, against Inter Milan, to achieve a historic hat-trick by lifting the Champions League. “We feel that it is the end of the season. Sometimes it’s a little hard. But we are doing everything to be ready this Saturday. We know that the season is already exceptional for us, we have already won the Premier League and the Cup. To have a new chance to win the Champions League is incredible, ”explained Kevin De Bruyne, the Skyblues playing master, at the microphone of RTL Sports.
However, the task promises to be difficult. Indeed, even if they are (absolutely) not starting favorites, the Nerazzurri have shown that they are capable of defying the odds. They did so in the group stage by winning at home against FC Barcelona (1-0) as well as in the semi-finals during which they managed to win twice against their Milanese rivals. (0-2, 0-1). Moreover, the Lombard team approaches this final without any complex: “It’s a football match, there’s nothing to be afraid of. We respect them a lot, but we are proud to play this final because we wanted it with all our might, ”assured Simone Inzaghi, the interist coach, at a pre-match press conference.
Either way, Mancunians don’t need to be warned. In recent seasons they have learned the hard way that the favorites – and those with the best football – don’t always win. We remember in particular their elimination in the quarter-finals of the “Final 8”, in 2019-2020, against Olympique Lyonnais (1-3). They should therefore not underestimate their opponents. Pep Guardiola also explained it: “Of course we are confident and optimistic, but, at the same time, I cannot deny the qualities and the strengths of the opposing team, made a point of underlining in front of the journalists the Spanish coach. I never did, especially in the Champions League final.”
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In the event of victory this Saturday, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Erling Haaland and his teammates would go down in football history. On the one hand, because they would allow Manchester City to win their first Champions League. On the other hand, because they would enter the (very) restricted club of teams having achieved the fabulous triple championship-national cup-C1; so far only Celtic Glasgow, Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, FC Barcelona (twice), Inter Milan and FC Bayern Munich (twice) have succeeded.
Moreover, this European title, the finest, would crown an era that was exceptional to say the least. Since the takeover of the club by the United Arab Emirates in 2008, the Citizens have become one of the best formations on the planet. Among other things, they have won seven editions of the Premier League, three of the FA Cup, six of the League Cup and three of the Community Shield. Remarkable… However, to enter the court of the (very) big, they still have to win a Champions League, a trophy that they stroked with their finger but which they let slip at the end of May 2021 (defeat in the final against Chelsea 0-1). “I think the eight years here at Manchester City have been incredible when you see all the titles won. We also know that the Champions League is the only one we haven’t won yet. I’m not too interested in possibly signing this hat-trick,” Kevin De Bruyne told RTL Sports. Before putting things into perspective: “Afterwards, we can talk about that if we manage to win, or not, on Saturday. At the end of the day, we can be very happy with this season anyway. We will do what we can.” But will that be enough to (finally) lift the Big-Eared Cup?
