Inter will face PSG on Saturday for the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 final in what is the most awaited match of the season. The Nerazzurri, after knocking out Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals and Barcelona in the two-legged semifinals, are now ready to face the French champions to lift the European trophy for the first time since 2010, when the team coached by Jose Mourinho won the third Champions League title in the history of the club. Since then, Inter only played the 2023 edition of the final and lost 1-0 to Manchester City, but the Nerazzurri were able to make it back to the final two years later.
For Inter, it would be a historical achievement as the last Italian side to win the trophy was the same Inter in 2010, and since then only Juventus played and lost two finals in 2015 against Barcelona and in 2017 against Real Madrid. After losing the 2024-25 Serie A title on the very last matchday of the season, Inter can save their season if they win on Saturday in Munich.
Now, let’s meet the Inter squad, starting with their ideal XI.
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GK: Yann Sommer
The Swiss goalkeeper has been phenomenal this season and a key player especially in the Champions League return leg semifinal against Barcelona in Milan, when he also won the Man of the Match award. Over the European campaign, he made 51 saves, second after Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, but Inter’s goalkeeper also holds the record for the most clean sheets in the Champions League this season with seven.
CB: Benjamin Pavard
The French defender will be back at the Allianz Arena where he played for Bayern Munich before joining Inter in the summer of 2023. Benjamin Pavard has been injured over the past month, but he’s expected to be back in the squad ahead of the final. After winning the 2020 edition of the European tournament, also against PSG, he will play his second final of the Champions League against the same French giants.
CB: Francesco Acerbi
The Italian defender was the hero of the second leg semifinal in Milan as his last-minute goal forced extra time before the winning 4-3 goal scored by Davide Frattesi. Francesco Acerbi, who also played in the 2023 final against Manchester City, is one of the faces of the team coached by Simone Inzaghi, and this would probably be the veteran’s last chance to win the Champions League in his career.
CB: Alessandro Bastoni
A two-time Serie A winner, Alessandro Bastoni is the opposite of Acerbi. If the 37-year-old is the representation of the old-style defender, playing face-to-face against the striker, Bastoni is the representation of the modern center back, who also helps the team in the build-up phase, thanks to his qualities. Bastoni was also included in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League Team of the Season, and he’s widely considered one of the best defenders in the world.
RW: Denzel Dumfries
When we think about the current Inter roster, Denzel Dumfries is probably one of the first names that comes to mind. He joined Inter in the summer of 2021 to replace Achraf Hakimi, who joined PSG and will face the Dutch winger on Saturday on the opposite side of the pitch. He has been phenomenal this season, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists in all competitions, including the two goals scored in the semifinal first leg in Barcelona. He has a knack for coming up big.
CM: Nicolo Barella
The Italian midfielder had a challenging season so far as he only scored three goals in all competitions and didn’t deliver the performances as has happened over the past years. Nicolo Barella is one of those players who needs to step up in the Champions League final if Inter want to have chances to win the trophy.
CM: Hakan Calhanoglu
The Turkish midfielder, same as Barella, didn’t have his best season since he joined the Nerazzurri in the summer of 2021 as a free agent. Hakan Calhanoglu is the playmaker of the team and considered the most creative player of the team. Under the Italian coach, Calhanoglu has drastically evolved into one of the world’s best deep-lying playmakers with exceptional vision and creativity as a midfielder.
CM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan
If Calhanoglu is the most creative midfielder, Mkhitaryan embraces a totally different but also important attitude as he’s the engine of Inter midfield. The 36-year-old, despite his age, has constantly been one of the best players for Inter over the past years, and winning the Champions League with Inter would be the biggest achievement of his incredible career.
LW: Federico Dimarco
Dimarco is the soul of this team as he has been an Inter fan since his childhood. Losing the 2023 Champions League final was a big disappointment for him, and he has even more motivation compared to his teammates to lift the trophy, as it would be a dream coming true as a fan before anything else. However, he will have to defend against former Inter winger Hakimi on that side of the pitch, one of the most difficult jobs of the game against PSG.
ST: Marcus Thuram
The French striker joined Inter in the summer 2023 as a free agent and immediately became a key player for the Nerazzurri, pairing up with team captain Lautaro Martinez, replacing former Nerazzurri striker Romelu Lukaku. Despite a stellar start to the 2024-25 season, injuries led to a dip in his performance compared to his earlier form, but the game against PSG and some of his national team teammates is a chance he can’t miss.
ST: Lautaro Martinez
The Argentinian striker, the captain of the team, has been phenomenal this season. Despite suffering a muscular injury in the first leg of the semifinals against Barcelona, he made an unexpected comeback and played in the second leg in Milan, showing how much he cared about the club winning the competition. Triumphing in the Munich final would elevate his status at the top of soccer’s elite, even more than his 2022 World Cup victory with Argentina.
Substitutes
- GK Josep Martinez: The second goalkeeper has played one Champions League match this season to replace Yann Sommer against Feyenoord in the first leg in Rotterdam.
- GK Raffaele Di Gennaro: The third goalkeeper hasn’t played any matches this season.
- CB Yann Bisseck: The German defender has been a key player over the past weeks, especially due to the injury of Pavard.
- CB Stefan De Vrij: The Dutch defender played a key role this season when Acerbi was injured.
- LB Carlos Augusto: Former Monza defender can play in multiple positions and will likely replace Dimarco in the second half of the Munich final.
- RB Matteo Darmian: The Italian winger, same as Carlos Augusto, can play in both positions on the right side of the defensive line.
- CM Kristjan Asllani: The backup playmaker played a total of 34 games in all competitions.
- CM Davide Frattesi: He has been phenomenal when he was involved and scored some crucial goals as the ones against Bayern Munich and especially the deciding 4-3 against Barcelona in the second leg semifinal.
- CM Piotr Zielinski: The Polish midfielder can become a key player, especially in the second half, as he’s recovering from injury.
- RW Nicola Zalewski: The January signing has been involved for only one minute so far in the Champions League knockouts.
- ST Mehdi Taremi: The Iranian striker only scored three goals so far in the 43 games played in all competitions this season.
- ST Marko Arnautovic: Former Bologna striker scored seven goals in all competitions before the Champions League final.
Manager, Simone Inzaghi
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Inzaghi was appointed in the summer 2021 to replace Antonio Conte. Since then, Inter won one Serie A title, two Coppa Italia and three Supercoppa Italiana trophies, and they also lost the 2023 edition of the Champions League final. There are increasing rumors he might leave Inter after the final, as Al-Ahli are reportedly offering around $50 million for three years to sign the Italian coach.
This news was originally published on this post .
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