Manchester City vs Chelsea: A final full of money, dreams and superstars

Cameron Loftus
28 May 2021

Pep Guardiola Thomas Tuchel UCL final May21

City are seeking their first European Cup and Chelsea are fighting for their second Champions League crown in the second all-English final in three years.

When: Saturday, May 29, 20:00 GMT

How to watch: BT Sport and BT Sport YouTube channel

Best bets

Manchester City to win and both teams to score at 7/2 (Bet365)

Riyad Mahrez to score anytime at 29/10 (Unibet)

Manchester City to win, over 2.5 goals, 5+ Manchester City corners and 20+ Chelsea booking points at 11/2 (Sky Bet)

Top-class managers do battle

Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel will become the seventh and eighth managers to reach the UEFA Champions League final with two different teams. They join an illustrious list including Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp.

Guardiola won the trophy twice while at the helm of Barcelona - beating Man United 2-0 in 2008/09 and then two years later, beating the same opponents 3-1 at Wembley. Noticeably it has been an English opponent he has defeated on both occasions - could Saturday complete the hat-trick?

German manager Tuchel has never won the Champions League. However, this is the second season in a row that he has reached the final. Last year he took Paris Saint-Germain all the way to the final, only to be defeated 1-0 by Bayern Munich in Portugal - the location of this season's showpiece.

Hansi Flick lifts the Champions League after Bayern Munich defeat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0

The two managers have met twice this season, with Tuchel's Chelsea team coming out on top both times. They defeated City 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley and then a couple of weeks later Chelsea struck late at The Etihad to condemn Guardiola's champions to a 2-1 loss.

In the previous five meetings between the two, Guardiola had more joy. All five games took place in Germany and Guardiola was in charge of Bayern Munich on every occasion.

The first two matches occurred when Tuchel managed Mainz and Bayern came out on top 4-1 and 2-0 in the 2013/14 campaign. The 2015/16 season was the next time they met, with Tuchel now in the Borussia Dortmund hotseat. Bayern handed their rivals a 5-0 defeat early in the year and Dortmund improved to earn a goalless draw in the second meeting.

The next time they faced-off was in the DFB-Pokal final in 2016. In a bore draw, which failed to produce a single shot on target. Bayern Munich went on to win 4-3 on penalties. Let us hope this year's final has a lot more to get excited about!

Three last meetings:

Manchester City 1-2 Chelsea (May 8, 2021)

Sergio Aguero suffered the ultimate embarrassment on a soccer pitch as he chipped a penalty directly into the arms of a grateful Edouard Mendy.

Little action took place before the interval but City did break the deadlock in the 44th minute. Gabriel Jesus pounced on hesitation and squared the ball to Aguero whose poor touch landed fortuitously at the feet of Raheem Sterling. The England international then coolly rolled the ball home.

Jesus was then brought down by Billy Gilmour but Aguero fluffed his lines with the panenka attempt… and City were made to pay.

Cesar Azpilicueta played a critical role in the build-up to the second-half equaliser, first dispossessing Rodri and then passing to goalscorer Hakim Ziyech, who finished from the edge of the area.

Raheem Sterling felt he should have been awarded a penalty but VAR did not overturn the on-field decision after what looked like a trip by Chelsea's Kurt Zouma.

To add insult to injury, the Blues pinched the three points right at the death courtesy of Marcos Alonso, whose scuffed shot squirmed its way past Ederson to temporarily deny City the league title.

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City (April 17, 2021)

Chelsea ended Man City's hopes of a historic domestic quadruple by causing a shock in the FA Cup semi-final. The win also meant Thomas Tuchel had his first ever managerial victory against Pep Guardiola.

Both teams had confirmed themselves as Champions League semi-finalists earlier in the week, but it was Chelsea who won this last-four clash at Wembley.

The deadlock was broken ten minutes into the second half when Timo Werner's pass was converted by Moroccan Hakim Ziyech - his fifth goal for Chelsea, with four coming in cup competitions.

Chelsea 1-3 Manchester City (January 3, 2021)

Frank Lampard was sacked three weeks after this defeat as his side slipped down to eighth.

A 16-minute period in the first half killed off Chelsea.

Before the scoring began, Joao Cancelo played in Kevin De Bruyne but the reliable Belgian was just off target with his effort. Ilkay Gundogan then got the goal action underway with a smart swivel and shot to break Chelsea's resistance.

Phil Foden swept in De Bruyne's pass to make it 2-0 before a clinical counter effectively ended the contest. Sterling raced upfield after Lampard's team had over-committed at a free-kick and after the England winger had hit the post with his shot, De Bruyne was on hand to slot home.

Edouard Mendy tipped over a Rodri effort to prevent further damage, with Callum Hudson-Odoi adding a consolation in added time for Lampard's men.

Head-to-head in all competitions since Pep Guardiola took charge at Man City:

Played: 13

Manchester City wins: 7

Draws: 0

Chelsea wins: 6

Manchester City goals: 19

Chelsea goals: 14

Road to the final

Manchester City:

Record: W11 D1 L0 F25 A4

Top scorer: Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres (4)

Group stage: Group C winners

Round of 16: 4-0 vs Borussia Monchengladbach

Quarter-finals: 4-2 vs Borussia Dortmund

Semi-finals: 4-1 vs PSG

Chelsea:

Record: W8 D3 L1 F22 A4

Top scorer: Olivier Giroud (6)

Group stage: Group E winners

Round of 16: 3-0 vs Atletico Madrid

Quarter-finals: 2-1 vs Porto

Semi-finals: 3-1 vs Real Madrid

Treble for City?

Chelsea go into the game looking to stop Manchester City from achieving a rare treble of the League Cup, Premier League and Champions League.

This trophy is the one that Pep Guardiola has yet to get his hands on for Man City and he will be desperate to add it to his long list of achievements at the club.

Pep Guardiola has won the Champions League twice with Barcelona

Although Thomas Tuchel has only been at Chelsea for less than half a season, he has helped them once again secure Champions League soccer and guided them to an FA Cup final and a Champions League final.

Team news

Man City do not come into the match with any major injury concerns. Ilkay Gundogan did seem to pick up a knock in his last game but Guardiola has said that he will be fine come the final.

Kevin De Bruyne showed he is back to full fitness against Everton and Sergio Aguero comes in off the back of two goals against Everton, although it is unlikely he will start in Porto.

Chelsea, however, do have a couple of worries. Goalkeeper Eduoard Mendy clashed with a post on Sunday against Aston Villa, but did return to training on Wednesday.

N'golo Kante has also been carrying a knock but as with Mendy, has returned to training and so is expected to be fit in this huge clash.

Scoreline prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea

Despite their failure to land the FA Cup, a win in Portugal would top off a superb season for Guardiola's side.

Despite City not setting up with an out and out striker, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez are a handful for any defence.

Guardiola will have taken plenty from the two losses to Chelsea and will have his team primed and ready to win this battle between the English giants. A narrow victory looks the right way to go in what could be a cagey affair.

Goalscorer bets

Manchester City's joint top scorer in the competition this season, Riyad Mahrez has been in stunning form in the latter part of the season and has shown up when it matters.

He can do it again on the biggest stage of all and the Algerian is 7/1 to score first with Unibet and 29/10 to score anytime with the same company.

Pep Guardiola's most iconic managerial moments at Barcelona, Bayern and Man City

The good, the bad and the ugly: Thomas Tuchel's memorable managerial moments