2025 UEFA Champions League Final: Will Experience Trump Youth in German Capital?
The story so far
At the start of the season, with the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona all expected to have strong seasons, neither PSG nor Inter were considered favorites to win this competition, so with one now guaranteed to take home the trophy, an upset of sorts is guaranteed.
In fact, neither PSG nor Inter began the campaign in the first five in the futures market. Before a League-Phase ball was kicked, PSG could be bet around the +1800 mark, while Inter were bigger still at +2500. Well done if you took either of those odds.
During the League Phase, it was Inter who really outplayed their odds, finishing fourth after eight games, while PSG stuttered, showing the level of form you'd expect from a team priced at +1800, finishing the League Phase in an underwhelming 15th position.
Thanks to their rather modest placing, the Parisians were forced to play in the knockout phase play-offs, where they were presented with a favorable draw against fellow French side Brest. It was never going to be an uphill battle for Luis Enrique's clearly superior team, who triumphed 10-0 on aggregate.
The men from Parc des Princes were then up against Liverpool, whom they somewhat surprisingly beat on penalties at Anfield following a reversal of their single-goal home defeat. After that, the money started to come for PSG, whose odds to go all the way shortened into +333.
A rather routine 3-1 aggregate win over Arsenal followed a 5-4 (after two legs) success against Aston Villa, sending PSG into a second UEFA Champions League Final in five years.
For Inter, the Round of 16 was a breeze, with Simone Inzaghi’s team beating Feyenoord by four goals to one on aggregate, before they got the better of Bayern Munich in the quarters, doing so in less clear-cut fashion, securing a 4-3 aggregate win.
Having beaten the German giants, Inter found themselves up against Barcelona, and what followed was two of the best semi-finals in recent memory, with the pair adopting wildly different styles, going toe-to-toe for 210 minutes, before Inter finally prevailed (7-6 on aggregate) after extra time in the second leg.
Different historical roads taken
If you like a little bit of history, then you may be interested to know that the Italian club has featured in major European finals far more regularly than PSG. Since 1964, prior to reaching this year’s Champions League final, the Milanese team that wears black and blue has featured in 11 major European finals, reaching the UCL final on no fewer than six previous occasions, making the final of the Europa League (formerly UEFA Cup) five times. Of those 11 previous finals, they’ve won six.
In contrast, the Parisians have only previously featured in the final of a major UEFA competition on three occasions, reaching the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup in both 1996 and 1997, before making the final of the Champions League in 2020. Of those three finals, they’ve won one.
Interestingly, both teams have featured in the final of the UEFA Champions League in recent years. Both lost. In 2020, PSG lost by a goal to zero against Bayern, while in 2023, Inter lost by a goal to zero against Manchester City. Both will be searching for redemption on Saturday.
Of course, when it comes down to it and the two teams take to the field, history will count for nothing.
Who are Saturday’s dangermen?
Right, so who are the players capable of getting their teams over the line on Saturday? Well, for PSG, there are many players worth mentioning, though I’m going to focus on Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi.
Ousmane Dembele was always going to be tasked with stepping up as the senior forward figure this season and the Frenchman has done just that, scoring 33 goals and registering 11 assists in all competitions. In the UCL, Dembele has scored eight goals, providing four assists as well. It’s fair to say that his contributions have been hugely significant.
In the Champions League this season, Dembele ranks as the best player for through balls, the fourth best for passes into the penalty area, the third best for key passes, the third best for shots on target, the fourth best for goals and assists and the best for total shots. He’s a key man, that’s for sure.
I also must highlight the importance of Achraf Hakimi, who in the knockouts in particular, has been fantastic. Against both Aston Villa and Arsenal, the Moroccan seemed to be playing in every position on the pitch, while he came up with two huge goals. Moreover, the 26-year-old rates as the fourth best player in the competition this season for key passes, the fifth best for passes into the penalty area and the third best for progressive passes.
From an Inter perspective, the defensive line is going to be key, while the likes of Nicola Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are certainly going to have to get through lots of work, but if Inter are to prevail, then it;s the front two of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram who will need to step up.
In an aging team, Thuram and Martinez provide lots of much-needed youthful energy. Thuram's direct running, pace and power on the break will surely be key for a team that likes to play on the break, while Simone Inzaghi will be hoping that his top scorer Martinez is in clinical mood.
It's also worth pointing out that, as should be the case for a final of this magnitude, we're going to see two of the world's very best keepers at Allianz Arena, and let's be real, both Yann Sommer and Gianluigi Donnarumma are capable of turning in match-winning performances. Put it this way, I'm quite certain that the eventual winners will be thanking the man between the sticks for some critical saves.
