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LONDON. — Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are 90 minutes away from the trophy they so desperately crave.
But, a Chelsea side, transformed in recent months, stand in their way in tonight’s all-English Champions League final in Porto. The match kicks-off at 9pm.
It is the third final of Europe’s elite club competition to be played between two English Premier League sides, and the second in just three seasons, so this is a match-up that underlines the strength of the cash-rich English game.
And, these are the two clubs whose own transformations in the last two decades under mega-rich foreign owners, have done the most to change, forever, the landscape of the English Premier League.
“I could not expect a tougher opponent,” Guardiola said.
They have been transformed since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as coach in January, even if they did finish the domestic season with three defeats in four games including the FA Cup final against Leicester City.
“We have arrived here. This is an incredible achievement and once you arrive you want to be on your very best, but it’s City with Pep on the other side who are maybe at the moment the best in Europe, maybe in the world,” said Tuchel, who was given a boost as fitness concerns Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante returned to training on Wednesday.
“It is on us again to close the gap for 90 minutes and the good thing is we did it already.” Of course Covid-19 casts a shadow over the final, which is only being played in Porto after the last-minute decision to move the game away from Istanbul. – AFP.
Online Reporter