City to End Champions League Wait Against Inter

Manchester City v Internazionale
Saturday June 10, 2023, 15:00 EST
At Ataturk Olimpyat

Manchester City has yet to win the ultimate prize in European soccer, but that long wait is set to come to an end in Istanbul this weekend.

Who do Bettors Favor

Looking at the top sports betting sites (and you can check out our sportsbook reviews here) indicate that going into this year's Champions League final, Manchester City is the clear favorite with soccer bettors. Some betting sites have the Premier League champion listed as short as -225, while Internazionale is listed at +580 and the regular time draw is +370.

UCL Final
Manchester City	-215	-225	-220
Draw	+370	+370	+375
Internazionale	+620	+580	+580

City Facing Ultimate Challenge

Manchester United is the only team to win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in English football once, in the 1998–1999 season. However, after defeating their city rivals in the FA Cup final on Saturday, City is now just one victory away from overcoming the ultimate challenge.

Although completing the treble would be an incredible feat, there is little doubt that the Champions League is the most significant of the three trophies for City. The club is among the most financially successful in the world and has dominated the domestic game, but it has so far failed to match those resources with the biggest trophy in club football.

This is also a big challenge for Pep Guardiola, the manager of City. His second Champions League victory was earned back in 2011 while he was still at Barcelona. While at Bayern, he made three unsuccessful efforts to capture the trophy, and when City reached the 2021 final, his tactical blunders played a big role in City's loss to Chelsea.

Don’t Write Off Inter

Although Internazionale is the underdog in this match, the Italian powerhouse cannot be written off. It came in third in Serie A, a long way behind Napoli, but it landed a significant trophy in the Coppa Italia and had to work hard to reach the Champions League final.

Inter’s route to the final involved coming through a difficult Group that included Bayern Munich and Barcelona before squeaking by Porto and Benfica with contrasting victories. It faced up against its old adversary Milan in the semi-final, but it prevailed 3-0 over two legs to reach its sixth final.

Despite its underdog status here, it is worth remembering that Inter has a long and successful history in Champions League/European Cup finals. Inter has made it to the final five times and has won it three times. The most recent success came in 2010 when the team overcame Bayern Munich to complete an unprecedented triple of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League, under Jose Mourinho.

UCL Final Head-to-Head

It is perhaps remarkable that Manchester City and Internazionale have never played one another in a competitive match, yet the English squad has faced several other Italian teams.

Eight times in either the group stages or the knockout rounds of European championships, City has been paired with Italian clubs, and according to their head-to-head record, the English team has won six of the 16 matches, drawn six more, and lost four.

Inter has competed at the highest level of European competition for a lot longer than City, and since 1956, when it faced Birmingham City in the Inter City Fairs Cup, it has faced English teams 38 times. The team has a win-loss record of 15-17 across those games, with six draws. and has drawn six of those contests. Its most famous game against an English club came in 1965 when it beat Liverpool 4-3 over two legs in the European Cup semi-final.

UCL Final Team News

Federico Dimarco is expected to be fit enough to start this game, which is great news for Inter going into this season-defining match. Due to muscle exhaustion, the left-back missed the weekend's Serie A match against Torino, but Simone Inzhagi has stated that he will be available in Istanbul.

Marcelo Brozovic is likely to start again in midfield, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also expected to be back in the matchday squad for this game and may have a part to play. Up front, Inzhagi must also choose between Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku for the main striker position.

For City, Guardiola has the unusual luxury of being able to choose from a full squad. All four players that missed the final Premier League match against Brentford—Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, Kevin de Bruyne, and Manuel Akanji—played in the FA Cup final and are likely to feature here.

UCL Final Match Betting Pick

The shadow of the 2021 Champions League final, still hangs over the Etihad Stadium, but the fact remains that City has the superior team. Inter is not an easy opponent to overcome, but it lacks Guardiola's arsenal of attacking alternatives, so assuming the City coach doesn't make any tactical errors, the English team appears to be a good pick in the match betting market.

Best Online Sportsbooks to Bet on the Champions League

Check out the top soccer betting sites below. You can get the best Champions League betting odds when you wager with these recommended betting partners.