Man City vs Inter: Road to Final and Champions League Final Combined XI

Man City vs Inter Milan will cap off this year's UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul, Turkey. Today, we will take a look at the combined starting eleven and the road to the final of the best teams in Europe's elite competition this year.

Man City will head into the game aiming to complete a historic Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble, while Inter will be hoping to win their first European title since 2010.

This is the second time in three seasons that City have reached this stage of the competition, losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the 2021 final in Porto.

This time tomorrow ⚽#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/VZuKruluzg

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 9, 2023

They still do not have a European Cup in their ever-expanding trophy cabinet and Pep Guardiola has not won the Champions League in 12 years, but they head to Turkey as heavy favourites to triumph on this occasion.

To be crowned champions of Europe, City will have to defeat an Inter side who have hugely improved during the second half of this season. The Nerazzurri have proven their street-smarts under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi and have gained a reputation as one of the continent's fiercest cup teams.

Now we will take a look at how these two teams reached the UEFA Champions League final:

Route to final:

Man City:

Manchester City's run through to Istanbul has been pretty serene truth be told, with Guardiola's side yet to taste defeat in their 12 outings.

Sevilla were swatted to one side with ease in the group stages, both home and away, while Dortmund and Copenhagen were overcome at the Etihad. 0-0 draws were secured in the reverse fixtures, the latter of which saw plenty of changes made to Guardiola's usual starting lineup.

RB Leipzig thought they had got their teeth into City after securing a draw in the first leg of their round of 16 clash, only to be pummelled 7-0 three weeks later. Bayern were then outclassed in both legs of their quarter-final tie, before City put on a masterclass to tear defending champions Real Madrid apart in the semis.

Inter Milan:

Inter weren't expected to progress beyond the group stage, so the fact they're in the final is a pretty remarkable achievement.

Their place in the knockout stages was secured after taking four points off Barcelona in their two meetings, in addition to picking up maximum points against whipping boys Viktoria Plzen.

The draw then really started to open up for Inter after they dispatched Porto 1-0 on aggregate in the round of 16. Benfica, normally so good at home, were blunted on their own patch before a six-goal thriller played out at the San Siro, while neighbourhood rivals AC Milan were unable to lay a glove on Inzaghi's side in the semis.

Man City vs Inter Milan: Predicted Line-ups

Man City predicted lineup (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland

Inter predicted lineup (3-5-2): Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Brozovic, Dimarco; Dzeko, Martinez

Man City vs Inter combined XI (4-3-1-2)

GK: Andre Onana - There's very, very little which separates Andre Onana and Man City's Ederson. Both are brilliant shot stoppers, and both are outrageously brilliant with the ball at their feet. The one thing that's led to Onana making this team instead of Ederson is the fact that the Inter man has managed to keep a whopping eight clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League this season, while Ederson has managed six.

RB: Kyle Walker - Is Kyle Walker the fastest man on the planet? When the ball is played over the top down his flank, he might just be. Walker has been a consistent performer for Man City for the best part of the last six seasons and, in that time period, there's been very few full-backs better than him.

CB: John Stones - The England international has been one of the Citizens' most improved players during the 2022/23 campaign and is fully deserving of his spot in this team.

CB: Ruben Dias - Finally back to 100% fitness, Ruben Dias is currently playing like the best centre-back in the world. A colossal talent.

Watch out for Federico Dimarco's surging runs into the box from the wings

He could be the X-Factor for Inter Milan in the Champions League Final pic.twitter.com/23ONmQu58h

— The Trivela Effect (@TrivelaEffect) June 9, 2023

LB: Federico Dimarco - Dimarco has developed into one of the best attacking full-backs around under the tutelage of Simone Inzaghi, something which is best exemplified by his five Champions League assists this season.

CM: Nicolo Barella - The ultimate box-to-box midfielder, Nicolo Barella has put in brilliant showings for Inter throughout their run to the UEFA Champions League final - the best of which was perhaps against Benfica in the quarter finals when he won the midfield battle essentially on his own.

CM: Rodri - Who thought Rodri would score one of the best goals of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League season? That's right, nobody did. And yet, his goal against Bayern at the Etihad Stadium will go down as exactly that. Along with scoring wonder goals, the defensive midfielder has been the solid foundation from which City have built attacks upon all year.

CM: Ilkay Gundogan - Gundo is currently enjoying the best run of form of his entire career. The German midfielder has been exceptional in a new attacking role in Man City's team, scoring 11 goals for his club throughout the campaign - including a brace in the FA Cup final.

AM: Kevin De Bruyne - Quite simply the best midfielder in the world. Kevin De Bruyne has been outstanding once again this year, helping himself to a hugely impressive six assists in the Champions League alone.

ST: Lautaro Martinez - Inter's captain was at his inspirational best in the semi-final clash with inner-city rivals AC Milan, and Simone Inzaghi will be hoping for more of the same from Lautaro Martinez this weekend.

24 hours ⏳ pic.twitter.com/mNHBPEBmeO

— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) June 9, 2023

ST: Erling Haaland - 52 goals in all competitions. Premier League Golden Boot winner. Premier League Young Player of the Season. Premier League Player of the Season. The third player ever to score five goals in a single UEFA Champions League game. Of course Haaland is in this team.