The Premier League is often cited as the world’s greatest soccer league. Full of bitter rivalries and immense talent, people from around the world tune in each week to watch the English league. That’s why the upcoming UEFA Champions League final feels special. Set to take place on May 29, the imminent Premier League title winners in Manchester City face off against the titans that are Chelsea FC. It’s hard to say who will get their hands on the coveted trophy.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is no stranger to a Champions League final, having won it twice with Barcelona over a decade ago. However, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel reached the final with PSG just last year, narrowly missing out on grabbing the title. Manchester City is edging the competition as favorites in the UEFA Champions League Final betting, though, with odds of -200 compared to Chelsea’s +163. Despite this, it’s not an easy game to call. Chelsea have already beaten the Man City twice this season, even though they’re a few places below them in the league table. With two of the best managers in the world going face to face, these previous results suggest an interesting match to say the least.
The Pressure Is On
Pep Guardiola may have won the Champions League twice with Barcelona, but his success in Europe since that stint has been very limited. Without denying the weight of his achievements, the Barcelona team he managed is often referred to as one of the best teams to have ever graced a soccer pitch.
In terms of his European record with Manchester City, Pep has failed to make much of an impact, and some pundits suggest that this will put Pep under more pressure than his opponent. While this is undoubtedly a possibility, some have argued that his European experience will put him in a better position than his opponent.
Tuchel took over as Chelsea manager after the firing of Frank Lampard in January. Since then, he has guided his club to a top four spot in the Premier League, an FA Cup final and a Champions League final. Needless to say, that’s pretty impressive for his first few months on the job. Regardless of his achievements this season, his European football pedigree is much less full than Guardiola’s.
He managed to reach the Champions League final with Paris Saint Germain last year, but came away empty-handed. Will the same happen again this time, or will Chelsea beat Manchester City for the third time within a year?
May The Best Team Win
Just one look at the history of these two teams and their respective managers makes for an interesting pairing. City, who became a super team relatively recently, have a very experienced manager in Pep Guardiola. Chelsea, who have dominated soccer games for longer, have a somewhat new but extremely exciting manager in Thomas Tuchel.
When you take all of this into account, it’s easy to imagine that the world is in store for an extremely exciting game. May the best team win.
