Key events
This will be the fifth European Cup final to be played in Munich, and the historical precedents strongly favour PSG tonight. Every final in Munich has produced a first-time winner. One of those was the only previous occasion clubs from France and Italy have met in a final … and that game was the only time a team from France has won the trophy. If Inter are to win tonight, they’ll need to do some serious trend-bucking here.
1978-79: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Malmö
1992-93: Marseille 1-0 AC Milan
1996-97: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Juventus
2011-12: Chelsea 1-1 Bayern Munich (aet; 4-3 pens)
Preamble
The two clubs contesting the 70th European Cup / Champions League final are cut from very different types of cloth. Internazionale are European royalty, the defensive masters of the mid-Sixties under Helenio Herrera, the similarly staunch usurpers of 2010 under Jose Mourinho, six-time finalists across the ages. Herrera’s team were known as La Grande Inter, which gives us some idea of status. Paris Saint-Germain are parvenus by comparison: the club were minus six years old when La Grande Inter were winning their first European Cup. Just the one unsuccessful appearance in the final for PSG, whose main mark on the competition to date has been historic collapses in earlier rounds. But times change, and they’re the favourites today.
The teams themselves are a study in contrast too. PSG are a gang of thrusting young bucks: Désiré Doué and Warren Zaïre-Emery are 19, João Neves 20, Bradley Barcola 22, Willian Pacho 23, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 24. Inter’s average age is 31, with 37-year-old Francesco Acerbi at the back and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in midfield a sprightly 36. PSG were crowned French champions nearly two months ago and have been able to grab some R&R since then; Inter are smarting from their failure to win Serie A just last week. Yep, PSG are the favourites today all right.
But then look what Inter did to hotly-tipped Barcelona in the semis, and tonight’s final in Munich is very much up for grabs. Will Inter win their fourth title? Or will PSG finally get their name on the biggest prize of all, ascending to become European royalty at long last? Kick-off is at 9pm in Munich, 8pm BST. It’s on!
