The UEFA Champions League final is a yearly football spectacle, drawing interest and eyeballs every single season as Europe's best clubs match up for a chance at continental glory.
This season's game presents a real David vs Golaith feel, with a Premier League giant matched up against an Italian challenger which will hope to lean on its Champions League pedigree.
As Europe's premiere club competition, the UEFA Champions League is a closely followed event all year long, but the final is considered the biggest annual match in the global game. Drawing hundreds of millions of spectators around the globe on a yearly basis, the Champions League final is one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
The Sporting News brings you everything you need to know about this year's matchup against two teams worthy of their spot in the final.
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Who is playing in the 2023 Champions League final?
The 2023 UEFA Champions League final will pit Premier League title winners Manchester City against Italian giants Internazionale.
Man City have won five of the last six Premier League titles, but have found translating that success to European play much more difficult. Still, many consider this City side to be one of the best squads to ever grace the English top flight, and they should have a great chance of finally getting over the European hump.
For Man City, winning the Champions League final would complete what is known as a treble, an extremely rare and coveted feat of winning three major trophies in the same season. Man City have already won the two most prestigious domestic trophies in the Premier League and FA Cup, so securing European glory would complete the treble of trophies. The last English club to do this was City's arch-rival, Manchester United way back in 1999.
Inter, hailing from Milan, finished third in the Italian league in 2022/23, proving inconsistent throughout the first part of the campaign. They managed to survive and advance in European competition, conceding just three goals in the knockout stage, all to Benfica. And they enter the final on a hot streak, having won 11 of their final 13 matches to close out the season.
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Where is the 2023 Champions League final played?
The 2023 UEFA Champions League final will be played at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
The venue seats around 74,750 spectators, first opening in 2002 and originally intended to be part of a failed bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics which were eventually awarded to Beijing.
Initially, Istanbul was slated to host the 2021 Champions League final, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that game was moved to Portugal, and Istanbul were instead awarded the 2023 Champions League final.
Ataturk Stadium is the site of the famous comeback by Liverpool in 2005, when the Reds fought all the way back from a 3-0 halftime deficit to win the trophy on a penalty shootout.
The 2024 Champions League final will be held in Wembley Stadium in London, England.
How many Champions League titles have Man City won?
Manchester City have never won a UEFA Champions League title in the club's history.
In fact, their ability to compete at the highest level of Europe's elite competition is only a relatively recent development. Prior to 2011, Man City had only ever played once in the highest European competition, suffering first-round elimination to Fenerbahce in the 1968 European Cup (precursor to the Champions League).
Since 2011, under UAE ownership, Man City have competed in every single edition of the Champions League. They reached the final in 2021, falling to Chelsea by a 1-0 score, and were eliminated in the semifinals two other times, both by Real Madrid.
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How many Champions League titles have Inter won?
Inter have won three European continental titles in the club's history.
The Italian side won two titles in the early days of the competition, then known as the European Cup, beating Real Madrid in the 1964 final before topping Benfica in the 1965 final just a year later.
They have one title in the modern Champions League era, coming in 2010 when they topped Bayern Munich 2-0 under manager Jose Mourinho.
Inter also have reached the final and lost twice, both coming back in the days of the European Cup. They fell to Celtic in 1967 by a 2-1 score, with Stevie Chalmers scoring a famous 84th minute winner, and then were beaten 2-0 by Ajax in 1972.
MORE: How Inter Milan got its name
Key players in 2023 Champions League final
Manchester City have a slew of attacking talent, but there are two key players for the English club in Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland. Those two combined to carve the Premier League apart this season, with Haaland setting the record for goals in a season and De Bruyne leading the league in assists.
At the heart of Man City's tactical dominance is Rodri, the Spanish midfielder who is widely considered the best possessional distributor of the ball in the Premier League. His additional defensive qualities make him a fearsome central midfielder. John Stones has also become a main component of the Man City midfield, regularly moving up from centre-back to provide additional support to Rodri.
For Inter, everything starts with midfielder Nicolo Barella, who was named to the Serie A Team of the Season and is reportedly a target for a number of Premier League clubs. He's a versatile player who has great dribbling skills and good distribution, and he provides an attacking presence as well.
While it starts with Barella, it ends with forward Lautaro Martinez, who has shaken off early season cobwebs to score 21 goals in 38 Serie A games this year, plus another three in the Champions League. He combines well with other Inter forwards, able to provide assists as well, and he also puts in a strong defensive work rate.
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Referee for 2023 Champions League final
The referee for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final is Szymon Marciniak of Poland, who is considered one of the top officials in the European game.
Fans may recognize Marciniak from just a few months ago, as he officiated the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France, which saw Lionel Messi emerge victorious with the South American side in a penalty shootout.
This season, Marciniak has officiated big Champions League matches, including the second leg of Man City's semifinal defeat of Real Madrid, which finished 4-0 in favor of the English side.
Marciniak was involved in some pre-match controversy when it was revealed that he recently attended a far-right event in Poland. Marciniak released a statement saying he "had no knowledge that it was associated with a Polish extreme-right movement. Had I been aware of this fact, I would have categorically declined the invitation." Following this, UEFA confirmed that he would remain in line to work the Champions League final.
Who is the favorite in 2023 Champions League final?
Overwhelmingly, Manchester City are the favorites to win the Champions League final.
In fact, Man City have been the betting favorite throughout the competition, with odds makers and fans backing the Premier League giants at every turn. Others have been given similar chances to win, but Man City have been considered the competition's most likely champion since the start.
Odds updated as of Thursday, June 8, 2023.
| Man City win (90 mins) |
Draw | Inter win (90 mins) |
Both teams to score Y / N |
Over / Under 2.5 goals |
Man City to lift trophy |
Inter to lift trophy |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) |
-225 | +360 | +575 | -115 / -125 | -145 / +105 | -550 | +320 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) |
-257 | +375 | +578 | -121 / -130 | -144 / +104 | — | — |
| SkyBet (UK) |
4/9 | 18/5 | 6/1 | 10/11, 4/5 | 8/11, 1/1 | 1/5 | 10/3 |
| Neds (Australia) |
1.44 | 4.40 | 7.00 | 1.85 / 1.87 | 1.68 / 2.10 | 1.18 | 4.33 |
How did Man City reach Champions League final 2023?
Manchester City qualified for the 2022/23 Champions League group stage by finishing atop the Premier League during the 2021/22 campaign.
City breezed unbeaten through the group stage, topping a Group G table that also included Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Sevilla (Spain), and FC Copenhagen (Denmark).
In the knockout stage, Man City knocked off two straight German sides, dominating RB Leipzig in the Round of 16 before topping Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. The 3-0 first leg win over Bayern Munich was a statement victory, as the German giants were considered one of the top contenders in this year's competition.
Manchester City then dominated the reigning holders Real Madrid by a 5-1 aggregate score in the semifinals, winning 4-0 in the second leg to emphatically book their place in the final.
- Group stage: advanced as 1st place in Group G
- Round of 16: def RB Leipzig (8-1 on aggregate)
- Quarterfinals: def. Bayern Munich (4-1 on aggregate)
- Semifinals: def. Real Madrid (5-1 on aggregate)
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How did Inter get to the 2023 Champions League final
Inter qualified to the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage by finishing second in the previous Italian Serie A season. While suffering through some inconsistencies for large stretches of the season, they have managed to survive through European play at every turn.
In the first stage they advanced from a difficult group, finishing a distant second behind Bayern Munich, but ahead of Barcelona thanks to a win and draw against the eventual Spanish champions.
Unlike Man City, Inter got a very favourable draw in the knockout rounds, avoiding all the favourites. They topped Porto in the Round of 16, then outscored Benfica in the quarterfinals, before overcoming bitter cross-town rivals AC Milan to book a spot in the final.
- Group Stage: advanced as 2nd place in Group C
- Round of 16: def. Porto (1-0 on aggregate)
- Quarterfinals: def. Benfica (5-3 on aggregate)
- Semifinals: def. AC Milan (3-0 on aggregate)
When was the last time Man City played Inter?
Manchester City and Internazionale have never played a match against each other in their history. This is the first time since 2005 (Liverpool vs. AC Milan, also played in Istanbul) that two teams will meet for their first competitive match in a Champions League final.
Inter will be the sixth team from Italy that Man City will face (Napoli, AC Milan, Roma, Juventus, and Atalanta). City have done well against Italian opponents in European play (6W-4L-6D), but they have not played an Italian side since the 2019/20 competition when they faced Atalanta in the group stage.
Meanwhile, Man City will be the 13th English team that Inter will meet in its history. They've had very little success against English clubs in 40 all-time meetings (16W-16L-6D). Inter have only had less success against clubs from Spain (16 wins in 56 all-time European games).
