Exclusively bring to you by ASAA88

MATCH PREVIEW

The Champions of Europe for the 2020/21 season will be crowned on Saturday when Manchester City and Chelsea clash in the finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Curtains will officially fall on the 2020/21 season in Europe this weekend with the blockbuster event of the campaign, the finals of the UEFA Champions League, set to take place on Saturday night in Porto. It will be an all-English affair as Premier League champions Manchester City will square off against rivals Chelsea in the showpiece event at Estadio do Dragao.

It has been another magnificent season for Manchester City, who sailed through to the Premier League triumph after a stuttering start to the campaign, while Pep Guardiola & co. also won the Carabao Cup once again. As for their journey in the Champions League, the Cityzens cruised through the group stages, topping Group C without losing a single game (W5 D1).

Manchester City then eased past Borussia Monchengladbach (4-0 on aggregate) in the Round of 16 phase but were made to sweat a little by Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final, although they prevailed 4-2 on aggregate. The semi-final stage saw Guardiola’s side overcome last season’s finalists Paris Saint-Germain in a tricky affair to reach their first-ever Champions League final.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have had an up-and-down season that saw them go through a difficult patch in the league only to mount an incredible recovery under new manager Thomas Tuchel who took over from Frank Lampard in January. The Blues did have had a few lows towards the end of the domestic campaign, most notably the FA Cup final defeat to Leicester City, while they also needed a favour from elsewhere to secure a top four finish.

But, in the Champions League, Chelsea have been top-notch throughout, winning Group E without a defeat, before dispatching Atletico Madrid 3-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16. The Londoners then saw off a stern challenge from FC Porto in the Last Eight stages before pulling off a sensational win over tournament favourites Real Madrid in the semi-final to set up a date with Manchester City.

The two teams have already met thrice this season, with Manchester City winning 3-1 in the first clash while Chelsea defeated the Cityzens in the subsequent two encounters – once in the FA Cup semi-final (1-0) and once more in the league earlier this month (2-1). Ahead of their latest and most important clash of the season, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this blockbuster contest.

PREDICTION

Chelsea have defeated Manchester City twice in a short spell of time recently and there is absolutely no way one can count them out. However, the Blues’ form has dwindled of late, as seen by the recent defeats to Arsenal, Leicester City and Aston Villa, which meant they had to rely on help from elsewhere to hold on to their place in the top four.

While the Cityzens also stuttered a bit after their Premier League coronation was confirmed, they turned on the style against Everton last time out, showing what they are capable of, while also building up crucial momentum. It will be close at Estadio Do Dragao, but it is hard to see this one pan out any other way than a win for Pep Guardiola & co.

Disclaimer: For reference purpose only. All above views expressed are those of the author and do not represent the views of ASAA88.