Man City vs Internazionale - 2023 Champions League Final Game Thread

[fletcherpost]

It's the big one. Even West Ham fans will tell you it's the big one. Manchester City against Internazionale Milano, or Inter Milan as we uncultured souls say in the UK. Inter have lifted the trophy three times already. They have a manager in Simone Inzaghi who's seen it all and is one of the smoothest men in football. But Inter are huge underdogs, everyone expects Pep Guardiola to cement his legacy and make history for City. Nae pressure then.

Loads of team news here. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/65633356

Kick off 3pm Eastern/8pm GMT

 

[fletcherpost]

Starting line-ups

Manchester City (3-2-4-1)
Ederson; Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake; Rodri, John Stones; Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan (capt), Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland
Coach: Pep Guardiola (ESP)

Inter Milan (3-5-2)
Andre Onana; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcelo Brozovic (capt), Federico Dimarco; Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez
Coach: Simone Inzaghi (ITA)

Kyle Walker on the bench for City.

 

[the1andonly3003]

if can vpn to the UK, BT streams free on YouTube

 

[Vinho Tinto]

Let's go Man City in regular time (-225).

 

[CodPiece XL]

Fully expect City to spank Inter. Milan just don’t have the bullets.

 

[InstaFace]

can a Man City fan explain to me why John Stones, whose chief asset is that he's tall and strong, is playing at DM for Man City, and not at CB where I'm accustomed to seeing him?

 

[InstaFace]

This ref is the Ed "guns" Hochuli of UEFA football. Other than Dumfries, I'm pretty sure he could win an arm-wrestling contest with everyone on the field, and he's probably twice their age.

 

[fletcherpost]

Not a bad effort by Silva.

 

[CodPiece XL]

Weird seeing Paramount + as a sponsor on Inter shirts. But I guess that’s what happens when your crypto company sponsor fails to pay you.

 

[fletcherpost]

Inter have settled well into this match.,

 

[HowBoutDemSox]

Inter having more possession than I would have thought. Wonder what Pep’s thinking was for Walker on the bench.

 

[bosox4283]

can a Man City fan explain to me why John Stones, whose chief asset is that he's tall and strong, is playing at DM for Man City, and not at CB where I'm accustomed to seeing him?

I believe he’s been playing there for a while now — a tactical change Guardiola made that worked really well.

 

[mauf]

“Brosevic” sounds like a made-up name.

Edit: Brozovic

 

[OCST]

this game is oddly flat.

 

[OCST]

Just as I say that a game of footy breaks out.

nice work by the keeper

 

[OCST]

Haaland, KDB, and Grealish all with shots in the past 4, all right at the keeper, and only Haaland had any mustard on it.

 

[fletcherpost]

I hope KDB is okay.

 

[OCST]

I hope KDB is okay.

doesnt look 100%, not moving with assurance

 

[OCST]

Inter keep giving it away in snd around their own box. Sloppy.

 

[fletcherpost]

Patient build up then KDB fluffs the cross. His race is run in this match.

Foden coming on.

 

[OCST]

Patient build up then KDB fluffs the cross. His race is run in this match.

Foden coming on.

Being able to pull a Foden off your bench when your star central midfielder is hurt - that’s the City advantage

 

[InstaFace]

Milan does have a clear idea of how they'd like to build up - and it involves clowning Nathan Ake pretty regularly, it seems.

It's really refreshing to be able to watch a UCL final that doesn't involve Real Madrid or PSG and thus not be super emotionally invested in one side losing. If I were Teddy though, I'd need an oxygen mask once I saw KDB going off.

 

[McBride11]

MC clearly carrying this at the moment. Kdb going out sucks, but really Foden is > than the 70% or whatever we were seeing.

Nice flop Graelish. Jeebus

 

[OCST]

ngl, this is a dull boring game:

 

[OCST]

View: https://twitter.com/xGPhilosophy/status/1667619758965923840?s=20


zzzzzzzzzz

 

[67YAZ]

Poor KDB. Last time a broken face, now this.

 

[luckiestman]

Glad it’s not just me thinking it was boring. Some bad play from both squads I thought.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

Being able to pull a Foden off your bench when your star central midfielder is hurt - that’s the City advantage

And if it wasn’t Foden it could be Mahrez. City’s depth is insane

 

[Kliq]

City have been sloppy in the final third, a lot of mishit crosses and balls into the box. Brozovic has been massive cleaning up everything in front of the box and bossing around City's midfield.

Inter haven't generated anything scary on attack, despite some promising chances on the counter. They just don't have any legs to chase after a ball hit past the City backline.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Ref send to be flipping a coin on some of these challenges.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Ref really swallowing his whistle.

 

[InstaFace]

Finally voted with my stomach and had a Milano cookie.

When I took it out of the box, though, it flung itself on the floor and rolled around a bit.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

The last time a Milan team played a Northwest England team in this stadium there was a bit more action.

 

[Kliq]

Pale John Carew hasn't had much of an impact on the game so far.

 

[Arroyo Con Frijoles]

Against all odds I find myself rooting for City??

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

Inzaghi needs to do something soon. The cracks are starting to show.

 

[mauf]

Had a $5 free bet and took zero goals at full time (+950). Got more free entertainment from that bet than I anticipated.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

That was coming.

 

[bosox4283]

Nice shot, but that was just a total collapse from Inter.

 

[Pesky Pole]

That was coming.

Yep, they were playing with fire.

 

[bosox4283]

Rodri was purchased from Atlético, so I’m happy for him. Pep really made him into a world class player.

 

[speedracer]

looool Lukaku

 

[Kliq]

Wow.

 

[Vinho Tinto]

Lukaku playing center forward back.

 

[McBride11]

Holy shit. Lukaku with stellar defense…. Against his team

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Lukaku just saved City.

 

[fletcherpost]

Inter nearly evened it up. Looping header off the bar. Phew, if yer a City fan.

 

[Kliq]

Realistically, Dias probably clears that ball away if Lukaku didn't block it.

 

[HowBoutDemSox]

I think Dias had a chance to clear that off the line even if Lukaku isn’t there to block it.

 

[McBride11]

Went down soft on the left wing… but ref is really letting them go