Man City are just one game away from completing a historic treble - if they win it will be only the 10th treble we've seen in Europe. After beating rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final last weekend, the Citizens have already secured a domestic double, and now only have Inter Milan to stand in their way in Istanbul in the Champions League final tomorrow morning.
After convincingly defeating Real, Man City (left) are on their way to a historic treble.
Prediction leans towards Man City
Why are people tipping City for a treble over Inter? According to Opta's supercomputer, City's odds of winning after 90 minutes are 64.6%, compared to just 16.4% for Inter. And if the final goes to extra time to decide the winner, the Citizens' chances of winning the match are even higher, at 74.1%.
But that’s only part of it. Given the way Guardiola’s side have beaten Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, it’s no surprise they’re favourites to beat Inter. There’s something mesmerising about watching City dominate even the strongest opposition with a potent combination of precise passing, intense pressing and blistering pace.
In addition, the defense still has some weaknesses of the "Nerazzurri" (counter-attacking, allowing opponents to create many scoring opportunities...) which could be a difficult barrier to break, separating them from glory in Europe. In addition, many people think that Inter coach Inzaghi will not be able to compare with his counterpart Guardiola on the other side of the battle line in terms of tactics, if that happens.
Finally, Inter's first loss in the Champions League this season and their final appearance is seen as a bad omen. The three teams that have been in that situation before them - AC Milan, Bayern and Tottenham - all lost in the final that season. However, with Inter having nothing to lose against Man City, things could change if the "Nerazzurri" know how to take advantage of their humble position to lure "The Citizens" into a trap.
The battle between two styles
By all accounts, this is a clash of two very different styles. In their Champions League games this season, Man City have won the ball back and started open play from an average distance of 47.2 metres from their own goal – the highest of any team. By contrast, Inter have been just 38.4 metres from their own goal, the lowest of any team that has progressed from the group stages.
That means Man City are likely to dominate possession while Inter sit deep and look to hurt their opponents on the counter-attack. Remember, only Milan (13) have created more shots from counter-attacks in the Champions League this season than Inter (12).
Man City won the domestic double
Simply put, the Nerazzurri will defend solidly as a unit and attack fluidly as a team, moving well with a strong style of play that requires every player to be at their best. Inzaghi's side have shown that they are good at adapting to their opponents, so we can expect them to defend deep and counter-attack with Dzeko and Martinez as their two strikers. But will that be enough to help them win?
Man City are arguably the best team on the planet and they have proven that basically no team can compete with the football they play when they are on form. The only hope for Inter is that their opponents don't get their best and make some crucial mistakes when the ball is in dangerous areas. So let's head to Istanbul!
Source link
Comment (0)