The 2023 UEFA Champions League final has arrived, taking place on Saturday night at Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey (Sunday at 12:30 a.m. IST in India).
It's a true David vs. Goliath battle, as Premier League champions Manchester City are gunning for an historic treble, while Inter hope to ruin City's quest for glory and return themselves to the top of the European mountain for the fourth time in club history.
Pep Guardiola has spent seven seasons building a juggernaut at Man City, but they have yet to reach the pinnacle of that project by winning a European title. They boast one of the most talented squads in the history of the modern European game, but remain without the crowning achievement of a continental crown.
With the Premier League and FA Cup trophies already in hand, Champions League silverware would vault their 2022/23 campaign from memorable to historic.
Inter, meanwhile, ended the season in third place in the Serie A table, but have turned around a mostly inconsistent season with a strong finish, and will hope to challenge Man City in a match that many believe to be remarkably one-sided.
MORE: Erling Haaland salary, contract at Man City
Man City vs Inter: Champions League final details
- Date: Sunday, June 11
- Kickoff Time: 12:30 a.m. IST
- Location: Ataturk Olympic Stadium (Istanbul, Turkey)
- Official: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
- Last meeting: None (First-ever meeting)
Man City vs Inter prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Man City (1.44)
- Score prediction: Man City 2-0 Inter
Going back as far as the betting data at Oddsportal goes, which is 19 years, no Champions League final has featured a bigger favourite than this year's Man City, who are just 1.44 to win outright in 90 minutes of action.
However, beware of the favourite. The pre-match betting favorite has fallen in each of the last two Champions League finals, including Man City in 2020/21 when they were beaten by Chelsea despite being 1.96 favourites coming into the match.
Still, given how Man City have demolished everyone in their path, it's foolish to predict anything other than a straight-up victory for the English side.
| Dafabet (India) | |
|---|---|
| Man City win (90 mins) | 1.44 |
| Draw | 4.50 |
| Inter win (90 mins) | 6.40 |
| Both teams to score (Y / N) | 1.91 / 1.83 |
| Over / Under 2.5 total goals | 1.73 / 2.10 |
| Man City to lift trophy | 1.20 |
| Inter Milan to lift trophy | 4.44 |
Man City vs Inter best bet
- Pick: Under 2.5 goals
- Odds: 2.06 (Dafabet)
While it's always possible that Man City go on another blinder and surpass 2.5 total goals themselves, it's hard to see this match being a barn burner.
Inter are defensively stout, having conceded just three goals in their last six Champions League games, and all three came in the 3-3 draw with Benfica which they entered with a comfortable 2-0 aggregate lead from the first leg. Their only defeats this Champions League season came against Bayern, losing both group stage games by a 2-0 score.
A 2-1 victory for either side is possible, but given the low-scoring nature of recent Champions League finals, the 'under 2.5 total goals' is a reasonable play in a match where tasty odds are hard to come by.
Man City vs Inter scorer bet
- Pick: Erling Haaland to score & Man City to win
- Odds: 1.84 (Dafabet)
Backing Erling Haaland to score or Man City to win hardly gives a palatable payout if taken separately, but putting them together at least provides some kind of value, even at slightly less than even money.
There's nothing earth-shattering to this pick, as it's a play on Man City's main goalscorer to lead the favourite to victory, but the way City have played the last two months, there's nothing wrong with following conventional wisdom and not overthinking the match.
Man City vs Inter high odds bet
- Pick: Lautaro Martinez to score & Man City to win
- Odds: 6.80 (Dafabet)
If you're looking for a more exciting idea for a bet, how about taking Lautaro Martinez to find a goal but Inter to still fall short?
No other Inter player will present quite the same goal-scoring threat that the in-form Martinez will, and if anyone will peg Man City back, it's the Argentine. Lautaro finished the campaign in sensational form, scoring in two of his last three Champions League matches and bagging seven goals in the final eight Serie A matches.
If you still want to pick Man City as the winner, but think the English Premier League champs could concede an Inter goal, pairing a Man City victory with a Lautaro goal makes for very valuable odds.
Man City vs Inter live stream, TV channel in India
- Date: Sunday, June 11, 2023
- Time: 12:30 a.m. IST
- TV channel: —
- Streaming: JioTV, Sony LIV
