UCL Final: Manchester City vs Inter Milan: A Primer with Serpents of Madonnina

A fantastic Champions League Final comes to a conclusion as Manchester City face Inter Milan. We have the perfect preparation for you.

We talked with David from SB Nation’s Serpents of Madonnina for a primer on Inter Milan fans thoughts after a remarkable campaign to reach this spot.

Let’s dive right in!

1 Can you recap the season for Inter? Have they met expectations?

A: It’s been a rollercoaster. The hope back in August was the Scudetto with the return of Romelu Lukaku, but Inter proved far too inconsistent for that. Twelve league losses were obviously far too many and even put top-four qualification in question at one point when the team was on a six-game winless run. However, success in the Coppa Italia and Super Coppa helped make up for the Serie A struggles, and Inter’s red-hot form of late, with 11 wins in 12, has done the rest of the job to secure 3rd place and make the season more or less a success.

2 What would you say is Inter’s style of play under Inzaghi?

A: Inzaghi loves his 3-5-2 and never strays from it. Though Inter has played its fair share of attacking football this season, a more counter-attacking set-up will be on the cards Saturday. Look for Lukaku and Lautaro to link up in transition as the main attacking outlet.

3 What is the feeling around the supporters headed into Saturday?

A: Interisti are mainly just happy to be here. No one expected a deep UCL run (especially after Inter was drawn in a group with Bayern and Barca) and by March the season was teetering on the brink of disaster. And yet, Inter will be in Istanbul come this weekend and handily beat rivals Milan 3-0 in the semifinals. While very few expect Inter to win, there is a belief that the Nerazzurri can cause Man City more problems than media predictions would suggest.

4 Prediction for Saturday?

A: I’ll go with a smash-and-grab 2-1 win for Inter. Would I put money on this result? No. Does part of me think it’s somehow possible? Yes. Man City will control possession but Inter will largely limit its chances, and when Guardiola’s side does manage to get a look at goal, Andre Onana will be there to save the day. On the other end of the pitch, Lukaku and Lautaro’s super form will continue with a goal each, although Haaland will have a strike of his own to make it go down to the wire.

Thank you to David and Serpents of Madonnina.