Pundit Paul Merson believes Inter have a much better chance of beating Manchester City than Man United had at Wembley.
Man City won the FA Cup final last weekend by beating their local rivals and this Saturday, they will have the chance to secure a treble. Inter are the heavy underdogs going into the Champions League final but according to Merson, Simone Inzaghi’s attacking line up could be the manager’s trump card.
Merson wrote for Sky Sports: “I always thought this was a harder game than the Man Utd game. Inter have got forwards in Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku who can hurt you, I didn’t see that with United’s front three – bar Marcus Rashford. That was the problem.
“This is a tough game, and they will be nervous.
“If both teams play to the best of their ability, Man City win. But they’re humans, and even though they’re great we’ve seen off days with City. Not many, but a few.”
Can Inter really beat Man City in the UCL final or is it a far-fetched dream?
It’s no secret that every bookmaker in the world is betting on Manchester City to lift the Champions League but Inter will definitely do all they can to try and make it a proper contest.
Lautaro Martinez and former City striker Edin Dzeko will hopefully start up front and the pair have scored 30 goals amongst them this season. Martinez alone has netted 21 goals across all competitions and the 25-year-old will definitely be the focal point for Inter.
Romelu Lukaku’s importance has subsided as the season has rolled along but the Belgian international has still managed to net 10 goals.
Martinez is blessed with speed while Dzeko and Lukaku are proper bully forwards who have the ability to hold the ball and allow runners behind them. Dzeko is not the paciest of the lot so Inter’s initial plan will be to pin long balls to him so that they can bypass Man City’s midfield press and directly enter the final third.
Lukaku will probably come on as a substitute in the second half and his entry will pose a fresh challenge for City because with him in the side, Inter will likely look to play quick paces and put the ball into the box at every given opportunity. Romelu Lukaku is great in the air so he will immediately become a target man inside the box for Inter.
During the second half of the FA Cup final, the likes of Rashford and Garnacho did manage to pin down Manchester City’s defence for a fair share of time and if Inter can replicate this blueprint(along with clinical finishing) then Guardiola will have something to think about.
Obviously, all focus will be on Erling Haaland but Inter have a world-class attacking line up of their own and they could eventually help Inzaghi get one over Pep Guardiola.
