Shay Says - Episode 23
Welcome to Shay Says, the latest football betting blog from LeoVegas’ Irish ambassador, Shay Given.
This week, the Republic of Ireland and Premier League legend previews this Saturday’s Champions League Final between Manchester City and Inter Milan!
Will City complete a historic treble, or can Simone Inzaghi’s men pull a rabbit out of the hat?
Let’s see what Shay Says!
Manchester City v Inter Milan
I think Manchester City probably deserved to win the FA Cup over the course of the game based off the way they played. It wasn’t a brilliant final, but it was the right result in the end.
Pep Guardiola seems to have a settled team now and I hope he keeps it for the Champions League Final – I was at the 2021 Final against Chelsea when he didn’t start a number 6 and everyone was scratching their head!
This is a massive game in the club’s history – to win a Treble and claim their first Champions League trophy would be humungous for the football club. They will start as big favourites, but that means nothing in a Champions League Final.
I think it’s the emotions City will need to handle more than anything – there will be more pressure on them to win than usual, so I hope the lads can approach it in a calm manner and play their normal game.
I’d be surprised if Inter Milan go all-out attack here, I think they will be very tight and hard to break down. Their game plan will be to stay nice and solid and to not give any early goals away, like we saw in the FA Cup final.
When I’ve watched them play, they’re very quick on the counterattack and commit numbers forward. If they can keep City at bay and remain narrow and compact at the back, they’ve got the players who can hurt them on the break.
I’m sure Simone Inzaghi’s message will be to not lose the game early and make it tense and nervy for City. They’ll happily soak up a lot of pressure but then they’ve got a lot of quality on the counterattack and will really go for it.
Despite that, I’m going for a City win here. If the players can keep their heads focused, I think they’ll get the job done.
I’m going with 3-1 to City, with Erling Haaland getting on the scoresheet and rounding off a phenomenal debut season.
SHAY SAYS: MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 INTER MILAN
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