IN THIS ARTICLE…
Istanbul previously hosted one of the most famous Champions League finals in history and Man City v Inter Milan promises to be another classic as both bid to become Champions of Europe.
Man City are looking to complete a famous treble, one completed only once by an English club – Man United, whom they defeated in last weekend’s FA Cup final. To reach this point, they have defeated giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, serial winners of this competition.
They take on Italians Inter, a club that hold six European trophies to their name, including three in this competition. Their route to the final saw them defeat Portuguese outfits Porto and Benfica before seeing off city and ground-sharing rivals AC Milan over two legs.
It’s the Champions League final. The biggest game in club football. Glory for both clubs awaiting them. We’ve had to do our bit and to enhance your enjoyment of a game that will be watched by millions around the globe, we’ve provided our famous stats pack and Man City vs Inter bet building tips. To learn more about how to use our stats pack guide, click here.
Man city vs inter milan predicted lineups
Guardiola to stick with the same XI as FA Cup final
Guardiola has done a lot of mixing and matching in order to keep his core players fresh for big games. After wholesale changes for their final league fixtures, the Spaniard reverted to his preferred XI in the FA Cup final and it should remain the same for the Champions League final too. That means Bernardo Silva on the right-hand side and Kyle Walker providing pace at the back.
Inzaghi to follow suit with big game team
Like Pep, Simone Inzaghi has mixed and matched his side ahead of major fixtures, showing confidence in his squad to secure a top-four finish and Champions League football next season regardless of what happens in the final. It means we should expect Edin Dzeko, Nicola Barella and Francesco Acerbi to return to the XI having been rested on the final day in Turin.
man city vs inter milan team stats
City imperious in Europe
Man City often come unstuck in Europe but they have found their stride this year, dominating football matches and obliterating their opposition. They are averaging double the shots, over double the xG and nearly triple the shots on target of their opposition.
One notable aspect of their games in Europe is that they do pick up slightly more cards than they receive domestically, and that is worth keeping an eye on.
Inter belying underlying numbers
Inter Milan’s rise to Champions League finalists has been thanks to an excellent defensive record, conceding fewer than one per match, including five clean sheets in six knockout matches. However, they haven’t exactly been dominant and do provide their opposition with opportunities.
Above, we noted Man City picking up a few more cards than they do domestically and that could be an important factor against an Inter side who draw 2.5 cards per game in Europe.
MAN CITY VS INTER SHOTS AND SHOTS ON TARGET STATS
Haaland laughing at opponents
Erling Haaland is having a ball. He’s had a near-perfect debut season and the records he has broken have been helped by his team-mates constantly getting him involved in good areas.
The Norwegian has a decent strike rate domestically and that is improved upon in the Champions League. He has perhaps lost hero status to captain Ilkay Gundogan of late and the German is one to keep an eye on – he is averaging around 2 shots per game at home and abroad.
Wing-backs like to attack
The 3-5-2 set-up utilised by Simone Inzaghi allows his wing-backs to get forward and join the attack and they aren’t afraid to pull the trigger either. While a little inaccurate with their efforts, both are averaging comfortably over a shot per 90 in the Champions League are decent prices to have a go at Ederson’s goal here – Dimarco is 1.44 to have a pop and Dumfries 1.67. Potentially fruitful additions to your Man City vs Inter bet builder.
MAN CITY VS INTER GOALS AND ASSISTS STATS
De Bruyne serving up for City team-mates
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way – Erling Haaland scores goals. He has 12 in 8.3 Champions League matches from an xG of 8.3. He has scored 36 in 26.9 Premier League 90’s. He’s a phenomenon. Who else is worth a look at? His Belgian team-mate Kevin De Bruyne, of course. City’s chef is available to score or assist at 1.73 and with 8 goals and assists combined in the Champions League from 7.6 90’s, has 23 goal contributions at home and is also City’s set-piece taker.
Dzeko to score against former club?
It’s also nerve-wracking as a fan when you see a former player line up against you and City fans will no doubt feel that tension seeing Edin Dzeko, a key part of their first title win, lead the line for Inter. He scored the opener against AC Milan in the semi-finals and has netted a goal every two games on average in the Champions League and Serie A. His partner in crime is more prolific, Lautaro Martinez with 6 goal contributions in the Champions League and 27 at home.
MAN CITY VS INTER PLAYER PASSING STATS
Rodri worth backing to have a lot of the ball?
One of the key reasons Man City humiliated Real Madrid was because the visitors didn’t have a plan for Rodri, who dictated proceedings for fun. He is averaging over 90 passes per 90 in the Champions League and at home and is available at 1.67 to make 90 passes in the final. Ruben Dias is ever so-slightly shorter odds but will also see plenty of the ball.
Inter happy to give up possession
We could get into dialogue about who wants the ball for Inter but the only player that stands out is Croatian Marcelo Brozovic, and it’s possible he won’t complete the 90 minutes if he does start. Inter have only seen over 50% possession three times in the Champions League and two of those were against Czech Republic champions Viktoria Plzen. They won’t see much of the ball here and are unlikely to be worth a selection in your bet builder.
MAN CITY CARDS AND FOULS STATS
Grealish a naughty boy on the pitch too
Jack Grealish has developed something of a reputation for being one of football’s bad boys and he’s no angel on it either, happy to leave his mark on the opposition by committing over a foul per 90 minutes. He’s not quite as bad as Bernardo Silva on the other flank who is committing over 1.5 fouls per 90 minutes, including seven in two matches against Real Madrid in the semi-final.
Because of the width City play with, it’s very likely that Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco be the players to looking to escape them and both aren’t afraid to draw a foul from the opposition. Dumfries is the more likely candidate to be stopped by any means necessary, being fouled more than twice per 90 in Europe and over 1.5 times per 90 domestically. Dimarco isn’t quite as powerful but that doesn’t stop him being fouled nearly once per 90.
Key matchups:
- Bernardo Silva v Federico Dimarco
- Rodri v Nicola Barella
- Jack Grealish v Denzel Dumfries
INTER CARDS AND FOULS STATS
Inter love committing a foul
Finding where to start with Inter is quite difficult – they have a lot of players that commit over one foul per 90 minutes, making this a potentially lucrative section in your Man City v Inter bet builder. Hakan Calhanoglu is perhaps the most likely culprit, particularly while chasing City’s box midfield – he commits 1.75 fouls per 90 in Europe and at home. Denzel Dumfries will be lining up against Jack Grealish and finds himself part of the Inter foul crew.
As noted above, Jack Grealish is a key figure in this department. He’s the most fouled player in the Premier League and you will be unsurprised to learn that of he ranks amongst the highest total for fouls drawn in the Champions League too. Few attract attention quite like the England man but Ilkay Gundogan is finding himself on the end of a few challenges, fouled over once per 90 in Europe.
Key matchups:
- Denzel Dumfries v Jack Grealish
- Hakan Calhanoglu v Ilkay Gundogan
- Nicola Barella v Kevin De Bruyne
MAN CITY VS INTER BET BUILDER TIPS AND PICKS OF THE PACK
Man City vs Inter Milan
10th June
kick off 20:00 Man City Over 1.5 Cards
Inter draw 2.5 fouls per game out of opponents in CL.
Man City 1.75 cards per game in CL.
Marciniak dishes out 4.15 cards per game.
Federico Dimarco 1+ ShotDimarco averaging 1.55 shots per 90 in CL, and 2.13 shots domestically.
Man City concede over 8 shots per 90
Bernardo Silva to commit 1+ FoulSilva committing 1.65 fouls per 90 in CL
Silva averaging 1.27 fouls per 90 domestically
Opponent Dimarco averaging 0.99 fouls drawn
Grealish to commit 1+ FoulGrealish commits over 1 fouls per 90 in CL and league
Direct opponent Dumfries fouled 2.33 times per 90 in CL
Dutchman also fouled 1.59 per 90 domestically
