Well prepared? You need to know that at the final of the Champions League
The final in Munich is coming up in the Champions League on Saturday (9 p.m.). The Paris Saint-Germain ensemble, even more goal-loving after the era of the superstars, meets Inter Milan’s veterans in a generation duel.
What is on?
After a first league in the premier class and a total of 188 games, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan qualified for the final. It is the 33rd final of the Champions League since 1993. Before that, there were 37 endgames in the national champions’ European Cup.
Are the clubs already in the winner list?
Inter has already won the most important European club title three times: 1964 (3: 1 against Real Madrid), 1965 (1-0 against Benfica Lisbon) and 2010 (2-0 against Bayern Munich). In addition, the “Nerazzurri” had reached the end games in 1967 (1: 2 against Celtic Glasgow) and 1972 (0: 2 Ajax Amsterdam). The 13-time French champion Paris, on the other hand, is still waiting for the really big triumph. The only final had lost 0-1 against FC Bayern to date.
When the Champions League won for the last time, Captain Javier Zanetti presented the « Henkelpott ». Photo: Getty Images
How was the way to the final?
PSG reached the play-offs through a 4: 1 at VfB Stuttgart in the last game of the league and clearly prevailed against Stade Brest (3: 0/7: 0). Via Liverpool (1: 0/4: 1 ne), Aston Villa (3: 1/2: 3) and Arsenal (1: 0/2: 1) we went to Munich. Inter reached the round of 16 directly as a league and switched off Feyenoord Rotterdam (2: 0/2: 1), FC Bayern (2: 1/2: 2) and FC Barcelona (3: 3/4: 3 NV).
Who are the main actors?
The very big names like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé are no longer available at PSG, no superstar plays at Inter either. But there are top soccer players in both rows: Gianluigi Donnarumma, captain Marquinhos and the technically very strong Vitinha, Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia stand out. At Inter, Torgiart Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram, Francesco Acerbi and Yann Sommer are some of the most famous names.
The main protagonists are probably the two coaches. While Simone Inzaghi is still waiting for the great international triumph, Luis Enrique could register with a win in the history books. According to Pep Guardiola, the Spaniard would only be the second coach, who succeeds twice the triple.
Luis Enrique (left) could get the triple for the second time. Photo: dpa
Enrique won three titles with FC Barcelona in 2015. In addition, the Spaniard would be the seventh trainer who would celebrate a European Cup victory with two different clubs. So far, only Carlo Ancelotti, Ernst Happel, Jupp Heynckes, Ottmar Hitzfeld, José Mourinho and Guardiola succeeded.
He may not be artistic master craftsmanship, but everyone in football wants to hold it in their hands.
Jürg Stadelmann
Designer of the Champions League trophy
How often was Munich’s venue for the final in the premier class?
Munich is the venue for the finals for the fifth time after 1979, 1997 and 2012. In 1979, 1993 and 1997, the endgames were still in the time -honored Olympic Stadium. In 2012 the Allianz Arena was the scene of the final.
How many spectators do the arena summarize?
The arena has a capacity of 75,000 spectators at FC Bayern home games. Since there are no standing room in the final, but a higher capacity in media places, the capacity is reduced to 64,500.
The Allianz Arena already served as a venue for the European Championship last year. Photo: dpa
What does the winner get?
The « Henkelpott ». The trophy is 73.5 cm high and weighs 7.5 kg. « He may not be artistic master craftsmanship, but everyone in football wants to hold it in their hands, » says the creator Jürg Stadelmann.
Who is a referee?
The UEFA has named the Romanians Istvan Kovacs. For the 40-year-old, it is the 30th assignment in the Champions League. Last season he had already headed the Europa League final between Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta Bergamo. He also made a name for himself at the 2024 European Championship when he distributed 17 yellow and two red cards in the 2-1 of Turkey against the Czech Republic – EM record!
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What else is there?
Of course a lot of money. The winner receives 25 million euros of UEFA premiums, the loser 18.5 million. Inter has already taken 81.5 million in premiums, PSG 73.55. In addition, there are spectator income and the so-called value bonus, in which the club coefficient and the market pool are taken into account. In the pot of the value premium there are 853 million euros. Overall, the record amount of 2.467 billion euros is available this season.
Where can the finale be seen on TV?
The term of the premier class is freely received in the Grand Duchy on some channels. In addition to the local program RTL Lëtzebuerg, the French private broadcaster M6 and the Belgians from RTL TVI also show the game between PSG and Inter. The German broadcaster ZDF and the Swiss SRF Channel also broadcast the final.
Europa League winner Tottenham Hotspur will meet the winner of the Champions League final in August. Photo: AFP
What’s next?
The winner plays for the UEFA supercup on August 13th in Udine against Europa League winner Tottenham Hotspur. First, however, for the two finalists there is a participation in the club World Cup in the USA (June 14 to July 13).
