The last time an Italian team won the UEFA Champions League was back in 2010. Since then, only Juventus has come close to winning the trophy but on Saturday (June 10) night at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Inter will stand a chance to achieve the impossible — beat a treble-chasing Pep Guardiola and Manchester City from winning their first trophy of the competition.
Ahead of the mega UEFA Champions League final, we take a closer look at their respective seasons in the Premier League and the Champions League.
Manchester City: Premier League and FA Cup champions
Manchester City themselves have been dominant. They did not lose sight of their focus, despite Arsenal dominating for 95% of the season. They rose to the occasion and took advantage of Arsenal's dip in form at the end of the season. This allowed them to come back strong in the final 10 games of the season. They eventually sealed a third straight Premier League trophy well before the end of the season, pushing Arsenal aside with ease.
In the FA Cup, Manchester City had a fairly easy run to the final. Barring Arsenal, they played teams in the lower divisions to get to the final, where they met local rivals Manchester United.
The match was fairly even. Skipper Ilkay Gundogan scored a blinder in the opening minute but then Bruno Fernandes equalised from the penalty spot. Gundogan struck once more in the second half to give City their second trophy of the season.
Inter Milan: 3rd in Serie A, Coppa Italia winners
Inter have had a resurgence in the last three seasons. After years of subpar displays, they ended their trophy drought with the Serie A trophy in the 2020-21 season. In 2021-22 they narrowly missed out on the coveted title to local rivals AC Milan but no one could blame them for losing hope in the 2022-23 season, given that Napoli ran away with the trophy this season.
In the end, they ended up finishing third, courtesy of Juventus' points deduction. But they tasted success in the Coppa Italia, i.e Italy's equivalent of the FA Cup. They beat the likes of Atalanta on the way to the trophy, eventually pushing aside Fiorentina for the trophy with a 2-1 win courtesy of a Lautaro Martinez brace.
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