Favorite of a 100% English final, Manchester City have the opportunity to win their first Champions League, the consecration hoped for by Pep Guardiola and his Emirati leaders, but Chelsea promise a fierce duel on Saturday (9 p.m.) in Porto, at the image of his vengeful trainer Thomas Tuchel.
At Dragon Stadium, it will float like air back to normal, after a season, once again, disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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In camera? Forget it. After months of empty stands, the stands will be dotted with 16,500 supporters, including around 10,000 from the UK. Friday afternoon, the English began to flock to the terraces of the Portuguese city, where "fan zones" were installed to increase the atmosphere. The “Super League” project? Deflated: the two finalists, who supported this controversial initiative of rival private competition C1, have repented, before being financially sanctioned by UEFA. In Portugal, under a "Sky Blue" (City) or "Blue" (Chelsea) sky, it is a question of placing football above the controversies that have divided the continent.
Manchester City have made an appointment with history.
The beloved “Citizens” of the Gallagher brothers, leaders of the legendary Oasis group, intend to become the 23rd club to lift the “Big Ears Cup”.
For Catalan coach Pep Guardiola, it is the reward of a five-year cycle which, despite ten national titles, seems unfinished without the C1.
The prestigious technician, crowned twice on the Barça bench in 2009 and 2011, has experienced several disappointments in recent years, against Monaco (eighth, 2017), Tottenham (quarters, 2019) or Lyon (quarter, 2020), before returning to the final.
Between the new rich
“Several important things have changed since those defeats. We are more stable, we concede fewer opportunities, ”analyzed midfielder Ilkay Gündogan. Last summer, the recruitment in central defense of Portuguese Ruben Dias solidified a team whose hard core, around Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez or Ederson, has matured. The emergence of young Phil Foden, 20, also made us forget that Argentinian Sergio Agüero, City's top scorer in history, would leave after the final. The Mancunian collective, which left no chance for the stars of Paris SG in the previous round (2-1, 2-0), has had a good period since December, and already has the Premier League and the Coupe de la Ligue this season. .
A hat-trick, with the C1, would allow them to become the second English club to succeed internationally, alongside their rival Manchester United (1999).
"Everyone understands the pressure, but at least you can enjoy the game, you have to take it with a smile," said De Bruyne.
The wealthy Emirati owners of City touch on their dream of lifting the 7.5 kg of metal they have coveted since their arrival in 2008.
The return of Tuchel
Their Chelsea counterpart, Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, has already won the competition in 2012. The "Blues", bought in 2003, then became the first "new rich" to win it. Nine years later, there is still hope in West London, where supporters have fun spotting the commonalities between the generation of N'Golo Kanté and that of Didier Drogba. As in 2012, before facing Bayern in Munich, the Londoners are not the favorites of the final. Another similarity with 2011-2012, there was a change of coaches during the year, Tuchel succeeding Frank Lampard in January.
Under the leadership of the German technician, finalist with Paris SG last August against Bayern (1-0), Chelsea shines by relying on a steel defense that allowed them to eliminate Real (1-1, 2-0) in the semi-finals. Despite signs of running out of steam, including a defeat in the England Cup final against Leicester (1-0), Thiago Silva's teammates have the advantage of having beaten City twice in recent weeks: on April 17 in the FA Cup (1-0) then on May 8 in the Championship (2-1). "I am convinced that we will have to suffer to win the final," said Guardiola. “City is the benchmark. They may be the best team in the world right now. I don't know if it's an advantage, but it allows us to arrive with confidence ”, replied Tuchel,determined to burn politeness to Guardiola to invite himself to the paradise of European football.
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