The most lopsided Champions League final in recent memory is expected to produce history. It kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday (CBS, Univision), late at night at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, but the presumptive narrative has already been written. On one side, there is Inter Milan, a team littered with cast-offs, the third-best in Europe’s fourth-best league. And on the other side, there is Manchester City.
Man City, beyond any shadow of a doubt, is the best team on this planet and perhaps of this era. It has already won the English Premier League and FA Cup. It has already won the Final Before The Final, a gigantic semifinal clash with Real Madrid, in style. Its net spending on players since 2009-10 — its first full season owned by Abu Dhabi’s royal family — has been the highest in the world, more than $1 billion greater than Inter Milan’s; and its all-star squad reflects those riches.
Saturday feels like the inevitable conclusion of the City takeover. For all their domestic dominance, the club has never won a European title, but this, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich already shoved aside, is their best chance yet. “Something would be missing” if another Champions League quest ends in failure, City coach Pep Guardiola admitted this week. But surely it will end in triumph, and a treble, and a celebration that can’t yet be tarnished by asterisks … right?
Soccer, though, has a habit of upending pre-written narratives. In the women’s Champions League final a week ago, Barcelona was a bigger betting favorite than City’s men are Saturday, yet trudged into halftime down 2-0 — before engineering a thunderous comeback. Two years ago, City reached this same stage as a favorite, but fell to Chelsea.
So, when a star-patterned ball rolls at 3 p.m. ET, and the most-watched annual sporting event in the world begins, anything is possible. You can follow everything that does unfold — goals, highlights, analysis and more — below.
Champions League final: Manchester City vs. Inter Milan live tracker
How to watch Champions League final
What: Champions League final
Who: Machester City vs. Inter Milan
When: 3 p.m. ET Saturday
Where: Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul
TV: CBS, Univision
