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Erling Haaland. PA Images/Alamy Images

Champions League Final: Can Manchester City clinch the elusive treble?

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated 6/8/23

After 10 months' competition, the UEFA Champions League has narrowed a field of 32 teams to two: Inter Milan and Manchester City. With the final looming, we break down each team's journey and analyze chances for victory.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has a reputation for overthinking in the Champions League. In 2021 — his last appearance in the final — Guardiola lost the game after dropping two defensive midfielders to the bench for just the second time that season. In 2019, he switched up his attacking philosophy for a bizarre, stifling display that saw his side beaten by a Tottenham Hotspur team it should've demolished.

While Guardiola has won many trophies with Manchester City, including back-to-back Premier League championships in 2022 and 2023, he has failed to bring home the Champions League cup he desires above all. Saturday's final against Inter Milan at Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium is Guardiola's greatest opportunity to change that.

City stormed to the final on the back of frighteningly competent performances that led many pundits to liken the team to a "machine." The Citizens went unbeaten in the group stages despite facing strong teams Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla. City hammered RB Leipzig 8-0 on aggregate before dispatching Bayern Munich and Real Madrid like it was no big deal. Those two have 20 Champions League titles between them to City's zero.

BERNARDO SILVA.

ADVANTAGE CITY. pic.twitter.com/79nYaSrGLM
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 17, 2023

So for City, the question is not if a Champions League victory is possible. It's beyond possible; it's probable. FiveThirtyEight gives City a 75% shot at success. The big question is: can City get out of its own head?

Early signs point to "yes." Guardiola acknowledged his overthinking tendencies and promised not to let them deter his Champions League journey. He has fielded a largely unchanged team throughout the knockout stages, swapping just Kyle Walker and Nathan Aké based on fitness and availability. The team has proven to be adept at tackling both fluid, attacking opposition and stoic, defensive opposition in turn.

City's biggest revelation in 2023 has been John Stones' renaissance. The English defender has blossomed into a new role at the heart of City's defensive midfield, working closely with Rodri to break down opposition attacks and build up play from the back. Stones' partnership with Rodri could define this Champions League final if Inter pushes for an early goal and concedes possession in its part of the field.

Of course, there is also Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker scored 12 goals in Champions League this season and can always be counted upon to score more. He's so strong, so talented, so inevitable that Inter is unlikely to man-mark him at all, choosing instead to prevent his peers from passing to him. Haaland has had a season for the ages at Man City.

IT HAD TO BE ERLING HAALAND AGAINST HIS FORMER CLUB pic.twitter.com/QSmZ6COy8H
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 14, 2022

If the Citizens hold their nerve and win the final, they'll achieve the rarest of feats: a "treble." Consisting of a domestic league trophy, a domestic cup trophy and a continental trophy, the treble is the highest honor a club team can earn. City already has the Premier League and FA Cup titles in hand. After a season filled with wonders, it feels foolish to bet against the Citizens achieving one more.

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