It’s a much-anticipated All-England UEFA Champions League final between two Premier League stalwarts, Man City and Chelsea. Two clubs that command worldwide fanfare and ardour, it doesn’t get bigger than this, more prestigious than battling the final in Europe’s top-flight competition. May the best team win!
In this space we look at this riveting matchup by taking a purely Man City viewpoint on it, looking at some of the reasons why the Citizens might emerge triumphant over the Blues in Europe’s biggest game on the soccer landscape. What would mark Man City’s first-ever Champions League title.
Saturday, May 29, 2021, 3:00 PM EDT – Estádio do Dragão
It wasn’t long ago when Man City was facing a two-year ban from European competition after it emerged that some of their finances may have been fudged to gain an advantage. The Abu Dhabi-owned club launched an almighty appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) after UEFA ruled City had committed "serious breaches" of Financial Fair Play regulations between 2012 and 2016. Man City won the appeal ultimately and was cleared of its charges of "disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions".
Had the ban stood, City wouldn’t have been in the position it is in now, on the cusp of challenging for its first-ever Champions League title. How quickly things can change.
It’s been a dream season for Pep Guardiola and his lads, winning the Premier League title for the third time in the manager’s five-year tenure that began in 2016 and the club’s fifth overall title. The Citizens secured their title victory on May 11, but they had to wait until the final day of the season to hoist the trophy. The crowning moment came this weekend on the heels of 5-0 thrashing of Everton, in front of 10,000 fans to boot as covid-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom are steadily being lifted.
Buoyed by the euphoria returning to the summit of England’s top-flight league brings, the Citizens are poised delicately on the soccer odds board as the faves to win the Champions League final. Unanimously, sportsbooks have Man City pegged as the -110 faves (or thereabouts depending on the choice online outlet). Chelsea, in the meanwhile, are tipped at around the +350 betting odds mark while the draw hovers around +250.
Based on City’s 2020-21 Premier League campaign, there’s no doubt that the favouritism is justified. Chelsea did finish inside the top 4, so there’s no doubt about their quality at all. However, recently, the Blues have been hit by injuries that could prove deciding. The most significant of which is suffering Edouard Mendy injury blow ahead of Champions League final.
The club’s No.1 goaltender was taken off midway through Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa at the weekend after picking up an injury that ended his contribution to the day’s proceedings. As yet, there’s no update on the Frenchman’s status which is a concern for the Stamford Bridge outfit as it prepares to play it’s biggest game of the season. It goes without saying that the side will be all better for it if they have Mendy in the line-up.
If Mendy is cleared to play, he’s certainly going to be lift Chelsea’s chances. Likely the betting odds will improve as well marginally. Chelsea defeated Man City 2-1 in Premier League play, as well 1-0 in their last meeting in the FA Cup. However, they went on to lose the FA Cup final to Leicester City, all while Mendy’s understudy manned the net. Manchester City won the first meeting between the pair in domestic action 3-1.
Since Thomas Tuchel’s appointment in January, Chelsea clawed its way back to the upper echelons of Premier League, moving up from ninth to third. Beating the 13-time Champions League champions Real Madrid in the semis was a significant gauntlet throwing moment for the Blues.
And yet, Man City will present a different challenge altogether. Pep Guardiola was brought to Man City precisely for this very moment: to deliver Championship glory to Man City. The last time these two sides met in Premier League, it was a significantly watered down side that Guardiola fielded. With De Bruyne, Mahrez and Gundogan playing this time around, the balance is likely to shift in the all-conquering Man City’s favour.
This is Man City’s moment. It’s their time to finally lift the most prestigious cup in European football. It feels like it’s theirs for the taking after their dominant run in Premier League and equally dominant run in Europe. Colour the world shocked if arguably the best team in Europe falls at this final hurdle. It would be quite the upset in soccer betting considering where Chelsea were only five months ago when former manager Frank Lampard got the sack.