For the second time in three years the Champions League Final is an all English affair. Will the Blues claim their second victory in the prestigious tournament, or will it be all smiles for the first time finalists, Manchester City.
Manchester City vs Chelsea
Saturday, May 29th, 3.00 PM (EDT)
Having played twice over the last 11 games in all competitions, the two sides are no strangers to each other. On both occasions Chelsea stunned Pep Guardiolas’ City, beating them 1-0 to progress to the F.A Cup final back in April, followed by another win away from home thanks to a last minute game winner from Marcus Alonso.
The stakes have never been higher than today, as Guardiola chases the only trophy that has eluded him during his tenure in Manchester, and Thomas Tuchel attempts to make amends for his 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the final last year.
Both Manchester City and Chelsea have experienced a similar run to the final, with a tournament best, 4 goals conceded from 12 games, and having scored 25, and 22 at the other end respectively.
Olivier Giroud tops the scoring for Chelsea, with the big Frenchmans’ 6 goals crucial to the Blues’ success early in the tournament, but since the later stages Tuchel has opted to use Timo Werner upfront instead. A decision which nearly proved costly after the German missed a gilt-edged opportunity in leg 1 against Real Madrid, but paid dividends in leg 2 when he buried the opening goal of their 2-0 win.
Who will be our #UCLfinal goal hero? 🤩
Predict for your chance to win a Nintendo Switch! Fans on The 5th Stand app have been having their say, but do you agree? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/bR22AsQaNE
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 28, 2021
The emergence of Mason Mount this season has played a big role in the Blues’ dominance, the homegrown youngster has enjoyed a breakout campaign, with 11 contributions in the league, as well as scoring 2 important goals in the Quarter and Semi Finals of the tournament.
Manchester City aren’t without their own young gun, the development of Phil Foden this season has been nothing short of incredible. With 9 goals and 5 assists domestically, and 3 goals and 3 assists in the Champions League, Foden is one of the most exciting talents in world football.
Final prep ✅ Thanks everyone for all the birthday messages today! 💙 pic.twitter.com/55ZUuDcT1R
— Phil Foden (@PhilFoden) May 28, 2021
Throughout a difficult knockout stage which saw the Manchester side play Borussia Dortmund and last year’s finalists, PSG, Riyad Mahrez stepped up to the plate, scoring 4 of 8 goals across the 4 games, including a most recent brace against the Parisian powerhouse.
City crossed the finish line of their season with 3 wins from 5 games across all competitions, while Chelsea fared a little worse with just 2 wins, however, with a game of this magnitude, that form is almost meaningless.
Both bosses have a fully fit squad of players to choose from, and with the amount of changes we have seen to their starting lineups this season we don’t know what to expect.
Chelsea have gotten the better of City in both of their recent meetings, and given Manchester City’s history in European competition all signs seem to point to the Blues, however, with one of the best defenses in the world, and the likes of De Bruyne, Mahrez and Foden up front, we still can’t look past Pep Guardiolas’ City today.
Champions League Prediction: Manchester City (-116)
Best Prop: Both Teams to Score / YES (+104)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, thanks to FanDuel.
