Man City predicted lineup vs Inter - Champions League final

Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland will headline Man City's lineup
Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland will headline Man City's lineup / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

Manchester City will be crowned champions of Europe for the first time with victory against Inter on Saturday night.

Pep Guardiola's side head to Istanbul for their second Champions League final in three years, looking to put to bed their many years of failure in this competition.

After a so-so first half of the 2022/23 season, Man City have looked imperious over the last few months and have a largely settled team in their unique 3-2-4-1 formation.

Here is how the treble-chasers are expected to line up.


READ MORE BUILD-UP TO MAN CITY VS INTER IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

manual


Man City predicted lineup vs Inter - Champions League final

Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland has trained as normal ahead of the Champions League final / Alex Livesey - Danehouse/GettyImages

GK: Ederson - Backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega was given a rare start for the FA Cup final, and to his credit, put in a decent performance between the sticks and on the ball. But first-choice Ederson can expect to be restored to the starting lineup.

CB: Kyle Walker - Guardiola revealed at a press conference on Tuesday that Walker has missed at least one training session since their FA Cup triumph due to a back problem. But the 33-year-old later joked that this was because he is 'getting old', before seriously stating that this was merely a precaution.

CB: Ruben Dias - The Portugal international missed a big chunk of the season's middle act due to a hamstring problem and Guardiola's general rotation, but has returned to his formidable all-action best down the final stretch of the campaign.

CB: Manuel Akanji - Walker's return to prominence means that it's likely only one of Akanji and Nathan Ake will start at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. The Switzerland defender might just have the edge on his Dutch counterpart due to match fitness.

DM: John Stones - Stones' minutes have been managed accordingly throughout the season and he looks as sharp as anyone on City's books heading into their final game of a long campaign. He was particularly impressive in their FA Cup final victory and has made this Swiss army knife-role his own.

DM: Rodri - Looked on his last legs in the win against Manchester United at Wembley, literally dropping to the floor in the second half. You can imagine Guardiola will be firing a rocket up his backside for one last push for the treble.

RM: Bernardo Silva - Another player who has only become a regular fixture in the City lineup in recent months, Silva was the hero of the semi-final second leg thrashing of Real Madrid. He has continued to be linked with a move away, with Barcelona and PSG interested.

AM: Kevin De Bruyne - The Belgian fractured his nose and eye socket in City's Champions League final loss to Chelsea in 2021. If he can avoid such a catastrophic injury in Istanbul, his side should have more than enough to win.

AM: Ilkay Gundogan - Few players have boosted their legacy in the last couple of months the way captain Gundogan has. His most recent heroics - a match-winning brace in the FA Cup final - helped ensure City can still clinch the treble.

LM: Jack Grealish - Perhaps a tad unfortunate to have conceded a penalty last time out. Massively improved in his second season at the club.

CF: Erling Haaland - Heading into the final game of the season, Haaland has scored 52 goals in 52 games for Man City. His Ballon d'Or credentials will strengthen to no end with a huge performance in a Champions League final.