On Saturday in Istanbul, Manchester City’s pursuit of a historic treble clashes with Inter Milan’s hopes at one of the biggest upsets in the history of Champions League finals.
Fresh off its fifth Premier League title in six years and last weekend’s FA Cup victory over rival Manchester United, Man City is on the verge of only the second treble in English soccer history after United’s 1999 triumph.
After years of investment and domestic success, City arrived in its first Champions League final in 2021 but lost to Chelsea in a lethargic 1–0 effort. But City returns to the biggest stage in European soccer with a new weapon in 22-year-old forward Erling Haaland, who broke the Premier League single-season goalscoring record with 36 goals in his first season.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, struggled in its domestic campaign this season with a third place finish, 18 points behind Serie A champion Napoli. However, two years after its latest Serie A triumph, the Nerazzurri won their second straight Coppa Italia.
In the knockout stages, Man City defeated RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to arrive in the final while Inter dispatched Porto, Benfica and rival AC Milan.
Earlier this week, Jonathan Wilson reported on the history of the final matchup for SI while Marcus Krum analyzed specific matchups and five questions that could decide the result.
Stay tuned here for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays from throughout the match (refresh for most recent updates).
The lineups for Saturday’s final are expected at 2 p.m. ET.
Manchester City XI
Inter Milan XI