The factors that decide the game
In terms of achievements in the Champions League this season, PSG is the team in the "upper hand" compared to the army of coach Simone Inzaghi. According to statistics from Opta, among the teams in the top five European leagues, only Barcelona with 174 goals has scored more goals in all competitions than Paris Saint Germain's 147 goals this season. In addition, Blaugrana also surpassed PSG in the number of expected goals in all competitions with 145.3 goals, while the expected goals of the "rich guy" from France is 142.5 goals.
Despite scoring fewer goals than Barcelona, PSG have had the most shots of any European side this season, with 1,074, 450 of which were on target and 280 of which were clear chances. However, PSG's 2,270 touches in the opposition box are fewer than Manchester City's 2,239 this season.
Luis Enrique last won the treble, in the 2014-2015 season. Photo source: Goal
In the domestic arena, PSG has "paid off" two domestic cups, that is Ligue 1, the title they won with an almost absolute record: only losing two matches, only conceding 35 goals, but scoring 92 goals, thanks to which PSG has a total of 84 points with a goal difference of positive 57. Next, it is Coupe De France after defeating Reims in the final match held at Stade De France which took place nearly a week ago.
One thing that PSG have in mind before the big match with Inter this Monday morning is that the last time Luis Enrique won the treble was when he defeated an Italian club, Juventus in the 2014-2015 season, the last season that Blaugrana won the Champions League. However, Inter Milan also have a point of their own, which is that in the past 10 years, no team has lost in the Champions League final after defeating Barcelona in the semi-finals. Some examples include Chelsea in the 2011-2012 season, Bayern Munich in the 2012-2013 season, and most recently Liverpool in the 2018-2019 season.
In addition to the above-mentioned “spiritual” support, Inter Milan also has another quite solid support, which is the defense. According to Opta statistics, throughout the last Champions League season, Inter Milan kept a clean sheet in 8 matches, more than any other team in the Champions League this season. More remarkably, the Nerazzurri only conceded 11 goals, including 1 own goal and 6 goals coming from the two “crazy” semi-final matches against Barcelona.
A map showing Inter Milan's positions and the number of goals conceded in the Champions League this season. Source: Opta Analyst.
To achieve the above remarkable achievement, Inter Milan not only needs a solid defense, but the Nerazzurri also needs a "rock-solid wall" in front of the goal, that is Yann Sommer, the name that can be considered the best in Inter Milan's defense this season.
To appreciate Yann Sommer's brilliance in front of goal for the blue-black team, we need to listen to the following statistics from Opta: if only counting in the Champions League, Sommer is the goalkeeper who has stopped the most dangerous shots with 5.9 shots, conceding only 10 goals out of the 15 expected goals he has faced this season, excluding own goals.
In addition to the above statistics, Sommer is also the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets with 7 matches. In addition, he also had 48 saves in the Champions League, a number only behind Thibaut Courtois' 52 saves and Emiliano Martinez's 49 saves.
The table shows the number of shots and goals Yann Sommer has conceded this season. Image source: Opta.
Having a solid defense, along with a solid "steel shield" from Switzerland like Yann Sommer, but Inter Milan still has to be very careful, because Paris Saint Germain has another "weapon", which is Ousmane Dembele, the most effective striker in the "rich French" attack this season. Specifically, according to statistics, Ousmane Dembele has contributed to 12 goals of PSG this season, including 8 goals and 4 assists, the most among PSG players if counting this season alone. In addition, the number of 8 goals of the French striker in the Champions League this season is only behind the number of 10 goals scored by Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Paris Saint Germain in the European arena in the 2013-2014 season.
Of course, Inter Milan are not to be outdone. According to Opta, Lautaro Martinez, the Nerazzurri's best striker at the moment, has scored in the round of 16, the quarter-finals, and the semi-finals, a feat that has only been achieved by five players in a single season: Frank Lampard in 2007-08, Diego Milito in 2009-10, Lionel Messi in 2010-11, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14, and Sadio Mane in 2017-18.
Also according to Opta, if he scores in the Champions League final on Monday morning, the Argentine will reach a memorable milestone, becoming the first player in the history of the Giuseppe Meazza team to score 10 goals in European competition.
The Snakes' Desire for Victory
For Inter Milan players, the Champions League final is a very important match, but for Dimarco, this match is even more special, because Inter Milan is not only a team for him, but also a second home, a place where he has been attached since he was 6 years old: "I have played for this team since I was 6 years old, even though I was loaned to 3 different teams, namely Sion, Verona and Parma, I always come back here".
Dimarco has the chance to lead the team he has played for since he was 6 years old to the Champions League title. Source: The Athletic.
Also in a short interview with The Athletic conducted a few days ago, the Italian player also shared a happy memory with Pep Guardiola: "I still remember every word that Pep Guardiola shared with Simone Inzaghi two years ago, which was not to be discouraged, in a few years Inter Milan will return to the Champions League final. And that happened."
When asked what Inter Milan have learned from recent Champions League campaigns, Barella humorously told The Athletic: "I learned that playing well is not enough, we have to score goals. Whatever the result, we can say that last season was a great season. We reached the Champions League final again. Two finals in three years is clearly not a coincidence."
KDNX
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