We are just days away from the most anticipated match of the season, the UEFA Champions League final between PSG and Inter on Paramount+, and it’s time to reflect on why this matchup is good news for the world of soccer. When the 2024-25 season started, we were thinking about English and Spanish domination of the most important European tournament, as the Premier League teams, including Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Arne Slot’s Liverpool, had big chances to win the tournament alongside the Spanish giants like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
Since Inter last won the competition in 2010, no team outside of Spain, England or Germany have won the tournament. That’s right, 2010-2011 until 2023-24 were all won by teams in those three countries, with Real Madrid winning six times.
However, things went in another direction this season. The 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Champions League was the first one with the new Swiss league format, with a general table instead of the usual groups, with more games and it was overall more fun to watch. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin decided to introduce the new format as an obstacle for the formation of a parallel tournament, such as the idea of a Super League that occasionally comes back from time to time. It was a success, and the 2024-25 final is the well-deserved ending.
How to watch the Champions League final, odds
- Date: Saturday, May 31 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Allianz Arena — Munich, Germany
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Paris Saint-Germain +105; Draw +240; Inter +270
Let’s take a look at the two finalists, PSG and Inter. Despite their incredible run in the knockout stages, as Inter for example managed to knock out both German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and Spanish La Liga winners FC Barcelona after one of the most memorable semifinals in the history of the game, the teams coached by Luis Enrique and Simone Inzaghi had a very different start to the European season. While Inter only had one defeat and one draw in the opening eight games of the league phase, meaning Inter qualified as fourth in the general standings and avoided playing the playoffs ahead of the round of 16, PSG had a challenging start. The French giants lost three games in the initial phase, and only thanks to their three wins in a row in the last three matches of the league phase (including the 4-2 win against Manchester City), they were able to advance to the next stage and faced Brest in the playoffs. PSG ended up the league phase with 13 points, only two more than Dinamo Zagreb which ended up 25th in the standings and were eliminated from the tournament.
Another aspect to underline of the new format is that it doesn’t really matter how you start the league phase, there is always time to get back on track until the very last matchday. PSG and Inter had different approaches, but it’s clear that ending up in the top eight definitely helps the team to reach the final stages. Three teams that played the semifinals (Inter, Barcelona and Arsenal) ended up in the top eight of the league phase, while only PSG went through the playoffs ahead of the knockout stages.
Inter enter the final as underdogs, but their European pedigree has grown under Simone Inzaghi’s leadership. The Nerazzurri’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the 2023 final in Istanbul underscores their resilience and experience. This year’s final, without English or Spanish teams, is a surprising matchup that reminds us soccer is full of unpredictability, where no outcome is ever guaranteed, with the UCL’s format delivering it.
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