The city and its last wall to be demolished

Istanbul, the crossroads of East and West, will be the scene of a match this Saturday that could mark a turning point in European football. The new regime of club states, represented by Manchester City, seeks to impose its hegemony on the old football aristocracy, whose honor will be defended at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium by the reborn Inter Milan, which takes the favoritism given by the bookies to its powerful opponent, but he is by no means afraid.

Aware that the weight of the shield once carried by legends of the size of Italy’s Giuseppe Meazza, Spain’s Luis Suárez or Argentina’s Diego Milito can also play its own game in a final where the Neroazzurra side comes with the support of three Orejones won in 1964, 1965 and 2010, people Simone Inzaghi believe that the anxiety of the Mancunians to lift the trophy that they have not yet managed to tie and cancel the forecasts of practically all analysts who take the champions for granted will sky blue before the ball rolls over the Turkish carpet.

The Champions League is the last wall Pep Guardiola has to overcome with City, who has made him work in the English competitions, but has yet to lift him to the top of Europe despite a €1.240 million investment from the technician arrived at the Etihad in 2016 with a mission to make the nouveau riche place at the same table where patricians such as Real Madrid, Milan, Bayern Munich or Liverpool have eaten for years.

a cyborg’s dream

After winning the Premier League for the ninth time and lifting their seventh FA Cup title, the Rowsley Street men have the chance to complete what would be the best campaign in their history in Istanbul. Champions League runners-up two seasons ago and semi-finalists last year, they went to the Atatürk Olympic Stadium after decapitating Real Madrid in an exhibition at the Etihad that served as a warning to Inter about the huge blow of a team that strengthened last summer in their ranks against the continent’s top predator. stormed the sky. Erling Haaland changed the face of the city where Guardiola revived and perfected Herbert Chapman’s legendary WM to empower the Norwegian, a weapon of mass destruction that threatens to devastate Inter. “I have always dreamed of playing in the Champions League final and it will be an honor to play this match. There’s work to do. We had an incredible season, but we have to finish it in the best possible way”, reflected a few days ago the giant who in the previous part of the season radiated fear with 52 goals.

Centurions of Simone

Inzaghi will no longer be able to repeat the magnificent journey made by the Neroazzurri in that campaign in which they tied the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Orejon titles sealed against Bayern Munich with Diego Milito’s double, but in the event of a departure Victory in Istanbul would culminate a campaign in which they brought the Coppa in their showcases, closed the league in third place and broke plans in the Champions League.

Probable lineups:

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Rúben Dias, Aké, Stones, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Gündogan, Grealish and Haaland.

Inter Milan: Onana, Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Lautaro Martínez and Džeko.

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).

A watch: 21:00.

Stadium: Ataturk Olympics in Istanbul.

TV: The 1 / Movistar Champions League.