Phil Foden to start and Manuel Akanji dropped! – Predicted XI: Manchester City vs Inter (Champions League Final) | OneFootball

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City Xtra

·9 June 2023

Phil Foden to start and Manuel Akanji dropped! – Predicted XI: Manchester City vs Inter (Champions League Final)

Article image:Phil Foden to start and Manuel Akanji dropped! – Predicted XI: Manchester City vs Inter (Champions League Final)

History beckons for Manchester City this weekend as they bid to win the UEFA Champions League and become the first English team in over two decades to complete the treble.

Pep Guardiola’s 300th win for Manchester City could come in the Champions League Final this weekend, with the Blues hoping to add the European trophy to the Premier League and FA Cup trophies already in the cabinet.


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Manchester City have successfully overcome both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to reach the Final in Istanbul and remain unbeaten in Europe so far this season, after 12 games in the competition.

Inter Milan are searching to win the Champions League for the first time since 2010, with the Italian side and Manchester City having never previously played each other competitively.

Former Manchester City player Edin Dzeko scored the opening goal in Inter Milan’s semi-final clash with rivals AC Milan, as the striker prepares to come against the club he made 189 appearances for on Saturday.

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul, here is how we predict Manchester City to line-up against Inter Milan.

Predicted XI

Pep Guardiola faces a series of selection headaches ahead of Saturday’s clash, however the Catalan has already previously confirmed that Ederson will start the Champions League Final for Manchester City, after Stefan Ortega played in last weekend’s FA Cup Final win at Wembley.

Kyle Walker was absent from first-team training due to a back problem earlier this week but after declaring himself fit for the weekend, the Englishman will be in line to make his 254th appearance for Blues, with the pace of the right-back key to nullifying any Inter Milan counter-attacks.

On the opposite flank, Manuel Akanji looks set to unfortunately miss out through no fault of his own, as Nathan Ake‘s performances throughout the season warrant a start at left-back ahead of the Swiss defender.

In central defence John Stones will play alongside Ruben Dias, after valiantly crucial performances from the pair, particularly against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the previous two rounds.

Not starting Rodri against Chelsea in 2021 undoubtedly still haunts Guardiola, but it will be impossible for the Catalan not to name the defensive midfielder in the starting team on Saturday, as the Spaniard prepares to make his 52nd start of the campaign.

In central midfield Ilkay Gundogan will captain Manchester City, with the potential for Saturday’s final to be the 32 year-olds last match for the Sky Blues, as the German’s future beyond the weekend remains uncertain.

Kevin De Bruyne will also obviously start, as the Belgian looks to help Manchester City win their first Champions League trophy this weekend.

This weekend’s final also has the potential to be Bernardo Silva‘s final game for City and after his first-half brace proved crucial in setting up Saturday’s clash against Inter Milan, the Portuguese international looks set to start out-wide once again.

Off the back of recent performances, one also expects to see Phil Foden start ahead of Jack Grealish, in yet another tough selection decision for Guardiola.

Foden’s lively cameo at Wembley against United and showings against Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford personally make a persuasive argument for the 22 year-old to start on Saturday.

Erling Haaland has a mammoth 52 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions this season but the 22 year-old comes into Saturday’s final having scored just once in his past seven matches. The Norwegian will be hoping to end that small goal draught in Istanbul when he leads the line for the Blues this weekend.

Predicted XI: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake; Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Foden, Bernardo, Haaland.

Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Akanji, Phillips, Perrone, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Grealish, Palmer, Lewis.

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