Man City - Inter: Fans allowed into the stadium.

In Turkey, Manchester City will face Inter Milan in the Champions League final of the 2022-2023 season. Kick-off will be at the Ataturk Stadium at 2 AM on Sunday, June 11th.

Traffic congestion in Istanbul
Three hours before kick-off, traffic in Istanbul was still moving slowly. Some Manchester City fans walked, or even ran, trying to get to the stadium on time.
The referees warm up before the match.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will officiate at the Ataturk Stadium today. Marciniak is bald, like Howard Webb – who refereed the 2010 Inter-Bayern final. Inter won that year. Another coincidence is that Marciniak is the second referee to officiate both the World Cup and Champions League finals in the same season. The first, of course, was Webb in 2010.
Marciniak's assistants are Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz. The fourth official is Istvan Kovacs. The VAR referee is Tomasz Kwiatkowski.
Referee Marciniak (third from left) and his colleagues. Photo: UEFA
Many fans are still searching for tickets on the streets of Istanbul. Photo: Reuters
Manchester City fans are present at Ataturk Stadium. Photo: AP
Two middle-aged Manchester City fans take a selfie after arriving at the stadium early. Photo: AFP
Two Manchester City fans are seated awkwardly among the rows of seats reserved for English team supporters. Photo: Reuters
Man City fans light up Istanbul.
A young Inter fan held up a banner that read: "Sorry Mom, I didn't tell you I was in Istanbul." Photo: Reuters
The atmosphere in Istanbul is becoming increasingly lively ahead of kick-off. Photo: AFP
Man City fans are ready for the final. Photo: AFP
Dias loves pressure.
Speaking to TNT Sports before the match, Manchester City defender Ruben Dias said: "We love the pressure. Pressure makes you run faster, jump higher, and focus more. That's what games like this need, and we need to seize the opportunity. We enjoy this moment and know what it means to the team, the fans, and our families."
Dias (left) giving an interview before the match. Photo: TNT
The atmosphere inside Ataturk Stadium before kick-off. Photo: AFP
Man City owner attends football match for the first time in 13 years.
Chairman Sheikh Mansour traveled to Türkiye to watch the final between Man City and Inter at the Ataturk Stadium. Since acquiring the English club in 2008, Mansour had only attended one official Man City match, in August 2010, when the team played Liverpool at home.
Chairman Mansour (in white) will be present at Ataturk to support his team. Photo: Reuters

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Man City are aiming for a historic treble after winning both the Premier League and the FA Cup. In the history of English football, only Man Utd have ever achieved this, in 1999. Inter, on the other hand, are only the fourth team in history to reach the Champions League final after losing their opening match, following AC Milan in 1994-1995, Bayern Munich in 1998-1999, and Tottenham in 2018-2019. All of these teams lost in the final.

The Italian team benefited greatly from being drawn into an easier knockout bracket in this season's Champions League. They only had to overcome Porto, Benfica, and Milan on their way to the final. Meanwhile, Man City's defeated opponents were Leipzig, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid.

Haaland (left) and Dzeko are expected to shine as attacking players for Manchester City and Inter, respectively. Photo: Sun — Haaland (left) and Dzeko are expected to shine as attacking players for Manchester City and Inter, respectively. Photo: *Sun*

Opta statistics also indicate that Man City has a 65% chance of winning, while Inter's is only 16%, with a 19% chance of a draw going into extra time. The FiveThirtyEight supercomputer also suggests that Pep Guardiola's team has a 75% chance of winning the championship, three times higher than their rivals.

One factor that could make the match unpredictable is that the two teams have never met in an official match; this is the first time this has happened in a Champions League final since 2005 between Milan and Liverpool. Guardiola said he had spent a lot of time studying Inter over the past week, but wouldn't want to "think too much".

In terms of form, excluding the 0-1 defeat against Brentford in the final Premier League match, which was merely a formality, Pep Guardiola's team has been unbeaten in 26 matches across all competitions. Inter have won 11 of their last 12 matches, but their opponents were not at the same level as Man City.

Man City have their strongest squad available, while Inter also welcome back center-back Milan Skriniar and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Inter players unavailable for this match rarely get playing time, such as defender Mattia Zanotti and midfielder Valentín Carboni, who are busy playing in the U20 World Cup.

Xuan Binh

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