Julius OkorieAll eyes will be at the Allianz Arena München, Germany Saturday night, as Paris Saint Germain face Inter Milan in a winner takes all 70th edition of the UEFA Champions League final.
If statistics and history are to be taken seriously, PSG can be dubbed the underdogs in this encounter as they are in search of their maiden Champions League title. The Ligue 1 giants despite their numerous titles in other competitions have remained without a Champions League title.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAnd on this occasion they find themselves face to face with Inter Milan who boast of previous wins in this competition a record three times viz 1964, 1965 and 2010. They actually missed a fourth by whiskers in 2023.
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PSG won their last Champions League tie, beating Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals. After earning a 1-0 victory in the first leg, they ran out 2-1 victors in the return match at home. Fabián Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi netted in the second-leg win. They have four consecutive wins in all competitions.
Inter won their last Champions League tie, beating Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate in the semi-finals. After playing out a 3-3 draw in the first leg, they ran out 4-3 extra-time victors in the return match at home. The Italian side scored once in the additional period. Four players scored in the second-leg win. They are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.
In the last encounter between these two sides in August 2023, it was Inter that won 2-1, and will no doubt be dreaming to re-enact that feat if given the chance.
In attack, Ousmane Dembélé has been a key performer for PSG in Champions League play. The attacker is the side’s top scorer with eight goals, two of which have been the critical first of the match. Lautaro Martínez has been the leading attacking threat for Inter, netting on nine occasions in this Champions League campaign, including four match-opening goals. He ranks fifth for goals scored in the competition in 2024/2025.
Both sides have found success in the final third in Champions League play, as the visitors have been on target in eight straight while the hosts have been on the scoresheet in their last five games in the competition.
Hosts PSG have been tough to beat at home this Champions League season with five wins, one draw, and just two losses in eight contests. PSG will be out to prolong a three-match home winning streak in all competitions.
With four wins, two draws, and just one loss away from Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the competition, Inter boast a fine record in away matches this campaign. The Italian side currently find themselves on a three-match away unbeaten streak.
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In their last six matches in all competitions, PSG have won five and lost one. They scored 14 and conceded five in that period, scoring first in four of the six contests. They had six first-half goals, while their opponents netted three times in the first 45 minutes. Inter have won four and drawn two in their last six. They scored 14 and conceded eight in that stretch, netting first in all six. Most of their goals (eight) came in the first half, while their opponents netted two times before the break.
If sentiments were to be taken into considerations in football, it would be to simply award victory to PSG afterall Inter already boast of three titles and are searching for a fourth one to be at par with Ajax who have won the title four times.
Football is often won in the two penalty areas, but ahead of this clash, it is hard to ignore two areas of the pitch that will play a pivotal role in where the trophy is heading on Saturday night.
Battle Of The Midfield:
While Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have made most of the headlines during the knockout stages, PSG’s midfield three of Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz have been nothing short of sensational, dominating proceedings against Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal.
Inter will more than likely allow PSG to have possession, but with how comfortable the Parisians’ midfield three are on the ball, and the ability they have to create chances, could make it a tiring evening for the Nerazzurri, and it may also leave their defence exposed to Luis Enrique’s pacy attack.
Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will work tirelessly though, despite having an average age of 31.7, and they are certainly not lacking in ability either, after going toe-to-toe with Barca’s maestros Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Dani Olmo in the semi-finals and coming out on top.
No Dull Moment For The Wing-backs:
The most fascinating match-ups will come on the flanks, though, and in particular between the wide defenders for both sides, as Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes will go head-to-head with Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco.
PSG right-back and former Inter man Hakimi has scored three and set up another five goals in the Champions League this season, which is the highest number for a defender since Real Madrid’s Marcelo in 2017-18, while Mendes has also been excellent, scoring four and assisting two, finding the net in both legs of their quarter-final.
However, Dumfries made the biggest splash in the semi-finals against Barca, keeping Raphinha largely quiet in their hectic 7-6 aggregate win, which saw the Dutchman play a role in all three goals in the first leg, including scoring twice, before assisting another two in the second leg at San Siro, most notably Francesco Acerbi’s dramatic late equaliser.
On the opposite flank, Dimarco made headlines for the wrong reasons, as he had the unenviable task of dealing with Yamal, and he was taken off on 55 minutes of both legs, but judging him on those performances would be doing the left wing-back a disservice, as he has proven to be arguably the best player in that position in Europe over the past three seasons.
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Dimarco racked up five assists on Inter’s journey to the final in 2023, and he has added another two this season in much fewer minutes, on top of the seven he has managed in Serie A, and his wand of a left foot could play a big part in proceedings on Saturday.
PSG’s Potential shortcomings:
While he has been the key factor in PSG getting this far due to his penalty saves against Liverpool and heroic performance away to Arsenal, there are still huge question marks around Gianluigi Donnarumma’s command of his area.
A goalkeeper with problems in the air will be music to the ears of Inzaghi, whose side had great success from crosses and set pieces against both Bayern Munich and Barcelona on their way to the final, and they are likely to make the most of such opportunities, especially with so many players who have such precision from dead-ball situations.
Inter also had much joy at counter-attacking Barca during the semi-final, and PSG will set up in very similar fashion in order to play their free-flowing attacking football, but that will provide a lot of opportunities for the likes of Dumfries, Martinez and Marcus Thuram to make runs in behind and expose the Parisian rearguard, and in Dimarco, Barella, Calhanoglu and Alessandro Bastoni, the Nerazzurri have plenty of players capable of delivering those defence-splitting passes.
Why Inter Must Watch It:
Inter will also have to be wary of sitting too deep, as they were guilty of that at times in the quarters and the semis, allowing Bayern and Barca to come back into the game despite taking two-goal leads on multiple occasions.
Especially in both legs against Barca, Inzaghi’s men led 2-0 home and away, but found themselves pegged back to 2-2 in almost no time at all, and their tactic of dropping slightly deeper was the cause of that, because Barca had the players to unlock their sturdy defence, and PSG also have that in abundance.
There will also be question marks again over Dimarco’s defensive capabilities at left wing-back, and if it were not for his world-class left foot and attacking instincts, Inzaghi would almost certainly be starting Carlos Augusto for this one, given his strengths at stopping wingers.
PSG have been ridiculed for many years about their record in Europe since the Qatari takeover, especially due to the implosions against Barcelona in 2017, Manchester City in 2021, and Real Madrid in 2022, which have led many to believe they simply did not have it in them as a club to go all the way in the Champions League. They will no doubt adopt a fight to the finish approach in this one.
Inter fans, after the heartache they suffered in 2023, losing in agonising fashion to Man City, despite having enough chances to win the game, are eager to forget that experience with victory as another opportunity comes.
There is certainly everything to play for and it promises to be a must-watch for good football lovers.
As both teams lock horns, one in search of consolidation and the other in search of a maiden title, needless to say that Real Madrid remain the father of all in this tournament despite failing to make it to the final this season, with 15 titles in the bag.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
