Key events
Simone Inzaghi: The future of Inter’s head coach, who has one year left on his contract with the Serie A side, remains up in the air, with strong rumours linking him with a lucrative £25m per year move to Saudi Pro-League side Al Hilal, possibly in time for this summer’s Club World Cup. The Italian is also reported to have held talks with Tottenham Hotspur. Asked about his plans yesterday, Inzaghi gave his interrogators short shrift. ““My future is that tomorrow there is a final,” he said. “That is all I want to talk about.”
Luis Enrique: “Every team does things differently and emphasises certain aspects of the game,” said PSG’s manager of his side’s Italian opponents. “We all know Inter’s competitive spirit, and we know Italian football. They are a very complete team that play the ball well. And when they don’t have the ball, they defend very well. Inter are a team with very clear leaders. We’re not going to change anything in the way we attack or defend, but we’ll have to adapt to the characteristics of each opponent.”
Comment: The Club World Cup looms as powerbrokers from both governing bodies mingle in Munich for Europe’s biggest club game, writes Nick Ames.
Inter: Simone Inzaghi’s talent-packed team will be underdogs against PSG but believe they have learned from 2023 agony, writes Nicky Bandini.
Ousmane Dembele: “This has been a dream of mine since I was a child,” said the PSG striker, whose form this season has been revelatory. “I am very concentrated. This will be an unforgettable moment. I just hope tomorrow will be history in the making. Tomorrow will be a tense game. We know Paris will be vibrating with excitement. You need to keep a cool head. We are very excited but, as has been mentioned, we need to be calm, cool, collected, serious but smiling, because this is an incredible moment for us.”
Lautaro Martinez: “We’ve definitely improved a great deal as a team,” said Inter’s skipper and striker when asked if this iteration of the Serie A side are better equipped to win the Champions League than the team that lost against Manchester City two years ago. “We’ve developed, we’ve grown. We’ve come up against some top-class opponents in some very challenging arenas – we were up against teams that had long unbeaten home records, yet we turned up there, we played our football, we showed what we’re all about and we’ve earned respect in this competition.
Simone Inzaghi: “We have to step onto the pitch with the determination and desire to win this match,” said Inter’s manager, who never got further than the quarter-final as a player. “We’ll play it our way, with the qualities that brought us here. The journey we’ve been on, full of challenges, gives us great belief. We’ve made it this far and don’t want to stop now.”
Luis Enrique: “It has been a very difficult journey, with some really high-level matches since the very beginning of the competition,” said the PSG manager in yesterday’s pre-match press conference. “We’re used to playing these kinds of matches, and I think that can be a strength for us. Now we’ll try to take to the pitch with our best weapons. It’s a final. We’ve prepared for it, and we’ll try to draw the game towards areas where we consider ourselves to be better. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Paris Saint-Germain: Luis Enrique has given his star players a holiday since they wrapped up the French title 57 days ago, writes Luke Entwhistle in Munich. Is that how to prepare for a tough Champions League final against Inter?
Champions League final: Despotism v capitalism in a clash of styles
Comment: “The Champions League final is a jarring and stirring clash of styles in so many ways,” writes Jonathan Liew. “The relentless attack of Paris Saint-Germain and the relentless defence of Inter. One team built on the freehand wizardry of youth and one built on the weathered edifice of experience. Flying wingers against flying wing-backs, two strikers against none. But perhaps the biggest philosophical difference is between two radically different models of a football club itself: who it serves, what it can be, what constitutes success, and how to get there.”
Guardian Football Weekly podcast: Max Rushden was in the chair as the Football Weekly panel previewed tonight’s Champions League final. You can listen to our discussion here and if you’re not already a regular listener, what have you been doing for the past 19 years!?!? You can sign up for Football Weekly on all the usual podcast platforms.
Preamble
Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter in what promises to be a fascinating and particularly intriguing Champions League final at the Allianz Arena this evening. Gnarly, streetwise and more experienced, the Nerazzurri are hoping to put their defeat at the hands of Manchester City two years ago behind them, but will have to overcome a treble-chasing French side to win their fourth European Cup. Younger and arguably more pleasing on the eye in this clash of styles, PSG are looking to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time.
