Happy UEFA Champions League final week! It was a weekend of contrasts for the finalists, with Pairs Saint-Germain lifting their second trophy of their season and Inter failing to win a second title this campaign. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest as the countdown to Munich reaches its final week.
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🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain on treble watch
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Paris Saint-Germain spent the final weekend before the Champions League final lifting another trophy, on Saturday winning the Coupe de France in a one-sided 3-0 win over Reims. As a dominant force in France, the result came as little surprise but the victory means that PSG are officially one trophy away from a historic treble-winning season.
Only 10 European teams have ever won the treble, with Manchester City being the last team to do it in 2022-23. The treble theme looms large over Saturday’s Champions League final, though – Inter, who themselves were once on treble watch, last won the Champions League during their treble-winning campaign in 2009-19, while the last time PSG manager Luis Enrique was in the Champions League final, in the 2014-15 season, he came out a treble winner with Barcelona.
For PSG, though, winning the treble is about more than just joining a storied list of teams. Enrique’s side aim to become only the second Champions League winners from France after the 1992-93 Marseille team, but the first to win the treble. France has an impressive soccer history that includes two World Cup titles and scores of top talent but has a limited profile in the top tiers of the club game. Even as PSG have emerged as one of Europe’s most high-profile teams since Qatar Sports Investments took over the club in 2011, the fact that they play in France has always served an asterisk on their record.
They collect domestic titles with relative ease, oftentimes meaning that their seasons are defined by their Champions League campaigns. There are also doubts that their domestic competitions are even adequate preparation for the Champions League, a question Enrique answered in the affirmative on Saturday after winning the Coupe de France.
- Enrique: “It was a very good match. We prepared for the final on the 31st in the best way. … The Champions League final will be a special moment for everyone. There is no special preparation. We will have to deal with a lot of pressure, but we have to prepare for it in the best way. It’s not easy to manage everything around the team.”
It helps Enrique’s case that this version of PSG are no fluky Champions League finalists. His new-look team had to prove themselves against a batch of top-tier European foes, including Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, en route to the final, quashing concerns that they are not necessarily up to the task simply because they play in France. They feel like a deserved Champions League finalist after a unique tactical transformation in their first season without Kylian Mbappe, making them one of the more fascinating finalists in recent memory.
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🇮🇹 All or nothing for Inter
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While Paris Saint-Germain target one final trophy lift this season, Inter hope to win their one and only title this season with Saturday’s Champions League final. It has been a season of deep runs for Inter, who reached the Coppa Italia semifinals and were competitive on the final day of Serie A’s title race, but fell short each of those times. The Champions League final is essentially a make-or-break moment for Simone Inzaghi’s side in what could be the last dance for this version of the team.
Inzaghi successfully recalibrated Inter when he joined in time for the 2021-22 season, taking them to the Champions League knockouts for the first time in a decade in his first season in charge and now leading them to the final of the competition twice, collecting on Serie A title in the meantime. Despite being on treble watch a few short weeks ago and then surviving the most back-and-forth Champions League semifinal in recent memory, this season has offered stark reminders of why Inter have fallen short in their domestic competitions this season. As Francesco Porzio writes, chief among their issues is their squad-building and the drop in quality from their starters to their bench.
- Porzio: “Inter had a big issue with their backups when they were involved, especially when it comes to the attacking positions. While the defensive rotations worked out pretty well, Inter strikers struggled much more. Despite the great campaign of Marcus Thuram, especially in the first part of the season, and the performances of captain Lautaro Martinez who probably played at his best this year, Inter’s second line strikers were not at their level. Former FC Porto attacker Mehdi Taremi, who joined as a free agent in the summer 2024, only scored one Serie A goal against Lecce in the 4-0 win over the 25 matches played, while Marko Arnautovic didn’t do much better as he scored four goals in 17 matches.”
Inter will technically have one more day of rest than PSG after playing their final Serie A game of the season on Friday, which will be enough time for Inter’s players to recharge ahead of the Champions League final. Inzaghi will likely have his top performers available to him on Saturday, which will likely give them their best shot at winning their first Champions League title in 15 years and perhaps delivering the perfect send-off for a revitalized version of Inter. For an Inter team that is much more experienced than their rivals, though, getting across the finish line on Saturday will not just be a season-defining moment – it could be defining of the entire Inzaghi era.
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🇮🇹 Napoli win Serie A: Napoli officially won the Serie A title on Friday in a season defined by Antonio Conte’s impact from the touchline as well as standout displays from Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku.
🏴 UCL race in England: Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United clinched Champions League spots on the final day of the Premier League season, while Aston Villa dramatically missed out. Plus, grades for all 20 Premier League teams this season.
🆕 Alonso in Madrid: Xabi Alonso was officially named the Real Madrid manager and is set to coach his first games at the Club World Cup next month.
🗽 Gotham win CWCC: NJ/NY Gotham FC won the inaugural edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup thanks to a late goal from Esther Gonzalez.
🔴 Arsenal win UWCL: Arsenal won their second UEFA Women’s Champions League title, defeating last season’s champions Barcelona.
⬆️ Sunderland promoted: Sunderland came from behind to beat Sheffield United in the Championship promotion playoff final, booking a return to the Premier League after an eight year absence.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- UEFA Champions League final: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Inter, Saturday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Both teams will not score (+110) – The Champions League final will feature two teams with two very different stylistic approaches, meaning the result really could go either way. Paris Saint-Germain boast Europe’s most overwhelming attack but also demonstrated an ability to go defensive in their semifinal tie against Arsenal, while Inter will bet that their defense-first approach will make them the first team in the Champions League to truly shut out this new-look PSG. If one team truly nails their tactical approach, they may just walk out of Munich’s Allianz Arena with a clean sheet and the Champions League title.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.
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