Man City vs Chelsea – all you need to know about all – English Champions League final
May 29, 2021| Champions League final: Manchester City v Chelsea |
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| Date: Saturday, 29 May. Kick-off: 20:00 BST. Venue: Estadio do Dragao, Porto. Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live with build-up from 18:00; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website |
It’s an all-English Champions League final – but will it be Manchester City or Chelsea who will be crowned champions of Europe on Saturday?
Premier League champions City are looking to win the prestigious competition for the first time.
Chelsea, European champions in 2012, have beaten Pep Guardiola’s side twice in the league and FA Cup in 2020-21.
Up to 16,500 people will be allowed inside Porto’s Estadio do Dragao ground to watch.
Both sides have fully fit squads to choose from, although City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan looked like he took a minor knock in Friday’s training session after a collision with Fernandinho.
“I know exactly the way we want to play, with who we’re going to play and I’m not going to bother them much,” Guardiola said.
“It’s an incredible experience to be here. I know exactly what I’m going to tell them. The guys who are anxious and nervous, I will tell them that’s normal.
“I’m pretty sure we have to suffer to win the final. It’s nice to say enjoy it but sometimes it’s not possible. You have to be resilient and adjust.”
City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne said: “If you win, you’re a hero. If you lose, you’re almost a failure. Coming to this stage is incredibly well done by the team but if you don’t win it’s something you don’t want to experience.
“It’s been one of the goals of the club and the players. Being able to be there tomorrow [Saturday] and to perform on the highest stage in the world is something of a privilege.”
City’s Spanish boss Guardiola is looking to win the Champions League for a third time after steering Barcelona to triumphs in 2009 and 2011.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is seeking his first Champions League success. Last season, the German took Paris St-Germain to the final, losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
“I have full trust that everybody wants it,” said Tuchel. “It is about hunger and always on the highest level in sport it comes down to how bad do you want it? I have felt us very concentrated, focused and disciplined in the build-up this week.
“It’s always tough to play against City, Bayern or Barcelona when Pep is on the sidelines. He creates huge belief and success and has a huge winning mentality.
“Maybe in the moment they are the strongest team in Europe, in the world, and they have built a huge gap between us in the league but we closed the gap for 90 minutes in Wembley and closed the gap again in Manchester.”
The final will be decided on the day, with 30 minutes of extra time and then penalties if required.
Each side will be allowed five substitutions, with a sixth permitted for each side if the final goes to extra time.
Tuchel said: “The penalty shootout [in the Europa League final] was fantastic in terms of quality from the takers. I don’t think I have ever seen something like this – 20 penalties in a row with no miss and so well taken.
“We have identified the guys who should take the penalties for us but I don’t know who is in the end on the pitch so we need to be well aware but if we go to penalties we go in together and out together.”
The video assistant referee (VAR) system will be used, while City have been designated the ‘home’ team, which means they will play in their traditional sky blue and white colours.
This year’s final will air in over 200 countries around the world, with the opening ceremony taking place about 10 minutes before the biggest game in European club football kicks off.
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Where is it taking place?
The final was due to be staged at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Turkey but was switched earlier this month to the Portuguese city of Porto because of coronavirus restrictions.
Portugal is on England’s green list for travel, so players and fans can attend without having to quarantine on their return home. Turkey is on the red list.
It is the second successive year the final has been held in Portugal, with Lisbon the location for the delayed final stages of last season’s competition.
The Estadio do Dragao hosted the 2019 Nations League final and was built for Euro 2004.
City have played at the venue in this season’s Champions League, with Pep Guardiola’s side held to a goalless draw by Porto in the group stage in December.
Chelsea also played Porto on their way to the final but both legs of their quarter-final in April were played in Spain at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium because of coronavirus travel restrictions between Portugal and the UK at that time – the country was moved to the green list on 17 May.
