UEFA Champions League Final 2021: Devoid of Greeks, but Will Still Command a Massive Audience

On 29 May, the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul will stage the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final. For the fourth time in nine years, it will see two teams from the same nation battle for Europe’s ultimate club crown, with Manchester City and Chelsea of the Premier League travelling to Turkey for the occasion.

The Champions League Final is always one of the biggest draws on the global sporting calendar, with people from the United States to China tuning in, let alone all of the more local nations in between. Being a footballing nation, millions in Greece will undoubtedly watch the final unfold, with it being shown on COSMOTE TV, even though there won’t be a Greek presence.

That said, there was at least a Greek who came close to making it to the big stage, and next season, should the club not be hit by a plague of injuries, there might just be a Greek in the final. So, let’s assess the efforts of Greece’s teams and players this season, as well as look at the almighty spectacle that’s coming on 29 May.

A Greek presence to the quarter-finals

The road to the Champions League group stages this season was one of great pride for Greece, despite only one of two teams breaking through. Down the Champions Path, Olympiacos had to defeat the Cypriot and upstart Omonia, who weren’t expected to beat Red Star Belgrade prior, as we noted at agonasport.com.

Down the league path, however, PAOK triumphed over Beşiktaş 3-1 as well as Benfica 2-1. However, the two 2-1 losses to Russia’ Krasnodar would see PAOK exit the picture at the final hurdle. After such stellar showings against two notoriously strong teams, it was a surprise that it would be Krasnodar that sent PAOK packing. Regardless, Olympiacos made it in and then did just enough to stay in Europe.

Unfortunately for the Piraeus-based club, they very much drew into a so-called group of death, alongside Marseille, FC Porto, and eventual finalists, Manchester City. Olympiacos held City to a mere 1-0 loss at home, with their superior defence through six games allowing the Greeks passage to the Europa League after trailing second-place Porto by ten points and 15 goals.

There was still a Greek presence in the prestigious competition, though. Over the summer, Premier League champions Liverpool invested £11.7 million to bring left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas to fuel further squad competition. The squad, including its new Greek defender, suffered wave after wave of injuries, dashing hopes of a domestic run, so they went big on the Champions League – only bowing out to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. Tsimikas didn’t make it off of the bench in these two ties but did feature in four games beforehand.

A colossal date on the sporting calendar

There won’t be any Greeks in the Champions League Final, but there will be plenty of Greeks watching the action because of the prestige of the competition. The quality of the teams on the field will attract audiences from around the world. The game itself will be broadcast in over 200 countries, with an estimated 380 million to tune in live.

There’s also the storylines propelling the attraction, with this somehow being Manchester City’s first final, and them being guided by Pep Guardiola. Equally, Chelsea have been pulled in through their new boss, Thomas Tuchel, who is the first manager to take two different clubs to the final in successive seasons. Then, of course, there’ll be the likes of Rúben Dias, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Agüero, N’Golo Kanté, Mason Mount, Timo Werner, and Thiago Silva.

The fact that the final is between two English clubs won’t hinder its appeal. If anything, it will fuel interest, with onlookers being able to draw from more recent match-ups to gauge their predictions. As explained by asiabet.org, the Champions League is a major betting event, with their betting tips stating that you need as much information as possible to get ahead. Improving your knowledge is key to betting on the final, as is spreading your bets. This one will be closer than the odds say: City will be favoured, but the Blues beat them in their knockout match-up in the FA Cup semi-finals 1-0 in mid-April.

This is also the Citizens’ first appearance in the final, and while manager Guardiola is well-known for winning trophies, he’s only been able to get this team there once in five seasons. That said, his opposite number, Tuchel, didn’t win the Champions League in his one crack at the trophy. Perhaps something that will weigh more heavily is Tuchel’s record against the Spaniard; through their first six meetings, Guardiola won four and lost once – although, that win was the very recent FA Cup match.

It’s going to be a tremendous occasion and one that’s watched and backed around the world, even if both of the finalists hail from the Premier League.