In an all-English affair, Manchester City (MCI), Chelsea (CHE) meet each other in the final of Europe’s elite club competition, UEFA Champions League (UCL). Pep Guardiola’s men are making their first final appearance in the tournament’s history, while Chelsea won the trophy in the 2011-12 season and finished runners-up 13 years ago. The Blues boss Thomas Tuchel had guided PSG to the final last year.
Team news
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan took a slight knock during a training session but is likely to feature in the starting eleven. He was City’s top goalscorer in the English Premier League season and scored three goals in the ongoing Champions League campaign. Kevin De Bruyne, who grabbed a goal and an assist against Everton last week, will lead City’s attack, while Ruben Dias will be the key figure at the backline.
N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy are available for selection after recovering from their respective injuries. The French midfielder played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s victory over Real Madrid in the semifinals. Mendy, meanwhile, has been outstanding as he has just conceded two goals in the knockout stage of the competition. Attacking duo Mason Mount and Timo Werner will be hoping to repeat their semifinal second leg performance.
Previous meeting
MCI 1-2 CHE (in English Premier League)
Goalscorers: R Sterling; H Ziyech & M Alonso
Stats & Facts
- Manchester City and Chelsea have conceded just four goals in Champions League this season
- Riyad Mahrez has scored four goals in Manchester City’s last three Champions League matches
- Timo Werner has picked up two assists in his three appearances against Manchester City this season
- Ruben Dias has completed 799 passes in Champions League this season – avg. 79 passes per match
- Christian Pulisic has scored a goal and made an assist against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals
Champions League 2020-21 stats
Top Goalscorer: MCI – R Mahrez & F Torres (4 goals); CHE – O Giroud (6 goals)
Most Assists: MCI – K De Bruyne (4 assists); CHE – K Havertz (3 assists)
Most Clean Sheets: MCI – E Moraes (7 clean sheets); CHE – E Mendy (8 clean sheets)
Injuries/Suspensions
MCI: I Gundogan (doubtful)
CHE: none
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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