With six wins in the group stage, including victories over Leipzig (1-0), Monaco (3-0) and, most notably, Arsenal (1-0), Inter quickly established themselves as one of the main contenders for the title. The Italian side suffered just a narrow defeat to Bayer Leverkusen (1-0), their only setback in a European campaign that saw them advance comfortably to the round of 16. At that stage of the competition, Inter held their nerve against Feyenoord (0-2, 2-1), who had knocked out Inter's stadium-mates AC Milan in the previous round. But it was in the quarter-finals that the Nerazzurri struck a major blow, eliminating a Bayern Munich side desperate to play a European final in their own stadium (1-2, 2-2), before shining in the semi-finals and beating FC Barcelona in a memorable double-header (3-3, 4-3 a.e.t.).
Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, had a less glorious league campaign, but still managed four wins, including a rousing one against Manchester City that is still fresh in everyone's minds (4-2). Les Rouge et Bleu had to go through the play-offs, but they made no mistake against an overwhelmed Brest side (0-3, 7-0) before clinching an historic penalty shoot-out win over Liverpool - at Anfield - that saw them through to the quarters. This was the prelude to an English-dominated run for the Parisians, who defeated Aston Villa in a nail-biting tie (3-1, 3-2). Then, in the semi-finals, the capital club surprised Arsenal with a precious victory in London (0-1) before sealing a second win at the Parc des Princes to reach the final at the Gunners' expense (2-1).
Simone Inzaghi and his team mainly play in a 5-3-2 formation. Swiss international Yann Sommer is the first-choice goalkeeper for the Milan side, and for good reason: the former Bayern Munich man has conceded under one goal per game on average for his club this season and has already kept 21 clean sheets. The Inter keeper is well supported by the excellent Alessandro Bastoni, who has been considered one of the best centre-backs in the world for several seasons now. The Italian international forms a complementary partnership with compatriot Francesco Acerbi, and this successful pairing played a major role in the Nerazzurri's qualification for the final.
Benjamin Pavard, returning from injury, is expected to complete the defensive line-up, returning to the starting XI in place of German international Yann Bisseck. Denzel Dumfries (11 goals and six assists in all competitions this season) excels at right wing-back and will obviously be in the starting line-up, making it more than likely that Matteo Darmian will start on the bench. On the opposite flank, another Italian international is expected to feature in the form of Federico Dimarco (four goals, 11 assists). He will likely be preferred to Brazilian international Carlos Augusto (three goals, six assists).
Essential to the Milan side's playing system, these wing-backs will rely in particular on Hakan Çalhanoğlu (11 goals, eight assists), a deep-lying midfielder who plays in a ‘regista’ role. The Turkish international will be supported by the experienced Henrikh Mkhitaryan (one goal, five assists) and the ultra-consistent Nicolò Barella (three goals, eight assists) to form a midfield with exceptional technical qualities. Davide Frattesi (seven goals, two assists) and Piotr Zieliński (two goals, three assists) are expected to supply fresh legs in midfield during the game.
Finally, in attack, the Italian coaching staff are relying on a duo that has been performing wonderfully: Marcus Thuram (18 goals, nine assists) and Lautaro Martínez (22 goals, seven assists). Opponents in the 2022 World Cup final, the two centre forwards are now wreaking havoc playing for the same club. The Argentine international, who has been injured in recent weeks, is expected to make his return to the starting line-up for this final. He should therefore retain the captain's armband, while Mehdi Taremi (three goals, nine assists) could well get some minutes in attack at the Fußball Arena München during the game.
