Champion’s league final preview

An all-English Champions League final will take place on May 29 as Man City face Chelsea. The two Premier League sides have overcome Europe’s elite to reach the 2021 final.

There is plenty riding on the match for both sides. Chelsea wish to add their second Champions League to an impressive trophy cabinet. But City want to win the only major honour that has alluded them in recent years.

Route to Final

Chelsea and City topped their respective groups this season to reach the knockout stages. Chelsea were unbeaten and only conceded two goals in Group E, while City won five of their six matches in Group C, finishing top and conceding just one goal. A 0-0 draw with FC Porto was the only match in this year’s Champions League that City have failed to win.

Before the knockout stages, Chelsea sacked Frank Lampard, and Thomas Tuchel took charge.  The German manager’s solid tactics led to two resolute performances to eliminate 2016 finalists Atletico Madrid with a 3-0 aggregate score in the last 16. Porto provided a tough challenge in the quarter-finals, but a 2-0 away win in the first leg was enough to counter Porto’s 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in the return fixture. Chelsea faced Real Madrid in the semi-finals, and the sides drew 1-1 at the Bernabeu. But Timo Wermer and Mason Mount both scored in a 2-0 victory over Los Blancos, sending Chelsea to their first Champions League final since 2012.

City have almost cruised to their first Champions League final after defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-0 in the round of 16, Borussia Dortmund 4-2 in the quarter-finals and Paris St Germain 4-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Guardiola’s side have won all of their knockout matches, both home and away, and scored two goals in every fixture since the group stages.

Favourites

Man City come into the Champions League final on an excellent run and have shown they can dispatch the top sides. Chelsea, however, are a tough side to beat and their recent 2-1 win over City in the Premier League shows they can defeat their English rivals, despite being the underdogs in this match. Pep’s illustrious history within the tournament through his time with Barcelona is reflected by the bookies who are not gambling on him losing to a Chelsea who are still very much a work in progress over the newly appointed Tuchel, but that doesn’t mean the blues can be counted out. So if you want to wager on a game that doesn’t impact your enjoyment of watching one of the biggest sporting events of the year, check out the best casino UK.

Key Players

For Chelsea, defensive solidity has been central to their success. Goalkeeper Eduard Mendy has been in excellent form, helping his side keep eight clean sheets in 11 matches. The likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, N’golo Kante and Jorginho have all featured heavily in the Blue’s Champions League campaign this season and maintained the discipline and work rate Tuchel demands. In attack, Chelsea’s young forwards have flourished. Mason Mount has been in excellent form and scored the decisive second to eliminate Madrid in the semi-finals. Fellow midfielder Christian Pulisic has also performed well, scoring in the away leg against Madrid and assisting Mount’s winner in the second leg.

Man City have exceptional quality in their squad, which Guardiola has used to great effect this season. Riyad Mahrez was the star of the semi-finals, scoring in the first leg and netting a brace in the second leg against PSG. Mahrez also assisted and scored across two legs against Dortmund in the quarter-finals. Kevin de Bruyne remains City’s biggest attacking threat. The Belgian playmaker has four goals and three assists in seven Champions League matches and scored in every round of the knockout stages.