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The 2020/21 UEFA Champions League final will be an all-blue affair with England’s Manchester City taking on Chelsea. Pep Guardiola-led City are looking to win the first UCL trophy in their history. Chelsea, in turn, are hoping to win it the second time, after laying their hands on the prize in 2012 initially.
City come into the match as the champions of England. They won the league for the third time in four years earlier this month, beating rivals Manchester United to the crown. Guardiola has overseen one of the most successful modern spells at any English club over the last five years. The only trophy that is missing from his cabinet is the one up for grabs this weekend. Guardiola has won the Champions League before with his legendary Barcelona side, although this would be City’s first UCL win, provided they beat Chelsea.
Unlike City, Chelsea have actually won the cup on one previous occasion. The Blues beat Bayern Munich against all odds in 2012, winning the tournament for the first time in their history. This will be the third time that the London outfit finds itself within touching distance of the iconic grail, having lost one final, and won the other. Meanwhile, for Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, Saturday night’s encounter will present him the chance to fix last year’s disappointment when his former team Paris Saint-Germain fell at the final stage.
Key Players
The “Golden Boy” who has lived up to his name, Phil Foden is one of Manchester City’s most important players at the moment. The youngster – now a full-fledged England international – has been able to cement his place in Guardiola’s starting eleven after a couple of seasons spent watching from the sidelines. He is almost guaranteed a start in the Champions League final, which would be fully merited given his numbers this term. Foden has scored 16 times and has 10 assists to his name.
While Kevin De Bruyne has been presented with several opportunities to hurt his former club over the years, there won’t be any occasion bigger than this. The Belgian could land the ultimate blow on his ex-team by winning the Champions League in front of them. De Bruyne – who was spotted by Chelsea as a youth prospect but later sold – has transformed into one of the best players in the world since. The 29-year-old can hurt teams if provided with an inch of space – evident by his stunning numbers this season. Ten goals and 18 assists in 39 matches for the Belgium international this term.
Chelsea as a whole don’t match the levels of Manchester City when it comes to pure numbers this season. The Blues have struggled to put away chances, whilst creating them consistently has been an issue throughout the season. However, one player who can hold his head up high is Mason Mount. The young midfielder was crowned as the club’s senior player of the season recently – all thanks to his great performances. Mount leads several metrics for the Blues and will be key to their chances in the Champions League final.
N’Golo Kante racks up numbers, but not the ones that generate any true excitement. That is because the Frenchman hardly supports the team with goals or assists but is one of the best in the world when it comes to breaking down opposition attacks. Kante is an excellent reader of the game, runs throughout the 90-minute match, and is great at winning the ball back. His intervention in the second half of the semi-final second leg against Real Madrid led directly to the goal, which took Chelsea to the final.
Prediction
Since Thomas Tuchel took over Chelsea, they’ve played Manchester City twice – and beat them on both occasions. The Blues secured a 1-0 win over the Citizens in the FA Cup semi-final before following it up with a 2-1 win in the league a couple of weeks later. However, City did play much of their second-string side on both occasions, with some key players – such as Kevin De Bruyne – missing out. That won’t be the case this Saturday.
For all the good that Tuchel has done in his short time at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea remain a level below Manchester City – at least in the context of this season. The Citizens, therefore, will be the favorites ahead of the Champions League final, although one should never count Chelsea out – as they proved in 2012.
