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Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea will battle in the final of the UEFA Champions League to take home the biggest prize in Europe. Both sides turned in performances of the highest order en route to the final and will be desperate to cap off their impressive campaigns with the European crown.
Manchester City thumped title-favourite Paris Saint-Germain over two legs in the semi-final while Chelsea sent perennial winners Real Madrid packing to set up an all-English Champions League final. Pep Guardiola's side saw off Borussia Monchengladbach in the Round of 16 prior to eliminating Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.
The Cityzens have been on a roll this season and have already won the Premier League and the Carabao Cup. Meanwhile, Chelsea beat La Liga champions Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16. They subsequently finished off FC Porto in the quarter-finals before taking on Real Madrid in the semis.
Chelsea made it to the FA Cup final but had their hearts broken after conceding a 1-0 loss to Leicester City at Wembley. The Blues will be raring to get their hands on silverware but it won't be straightforward against one of the best sides in the world at the moment.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Chelsea will struggle against Manchester City.
#5 Chelsea's lack of a reliable goalscorer
Despite the marked improvement they've showcased under Thomas Tuchel, goals have been hard to come by for the Blues. They scored just 58 goals in 38 Premier League matches this term and they have the worst record in terms of goals scored among the top six sides in the Premier League.
Timo Werner's all-round game has helped Chelsea but the striker's form in front of goal has been woeful. The fact that Jorginho, with seven goals, all of which were penalties, was their top scorer in the Premier League, speaks volumes of Chelsea's lack of a reliable goalscorer.
Their top scorer in the Champions League is Olivier Giroud and he is extremely unlikely to be deployed up front.
Against Manchester City, Chelsea are not going to get a whole lot of chances and they will need to be clinical. Though they have been able to bang in a couple of crucial ones whenever it has mattered so far in Europe, it will once again be quite a test for Tuchel's men.
#4 Manchester City's strong defence
Manchester City kept the best defensive record in the Premier League this past Premier League season. Against Paris Saint-Germain, a side that boasts arguably the best attack in the world, the Cityzens conceded a single goal over two legs.
Much of that credit goes to their incredible centre-back duo of Ruben Dias and John Stones. Dias' entry has helped stabilize Manchester City and his presence has helped charge John Stones back to life. Both players are excellent defenders and neat in possession as well.
Chelsea's attackers will have their work cut out for them tonight as they go up against one of the best centre-back pairings in the world right now.
#3 Chelsea have not been in great form of late
Chelsea have been able to get the better of Manchester City twice over the past month and a half. While their win in the FA Cup was hard-fought, the 2-1 win against Manchester City in the Premier League earlier this month was rather fortuitous.
Sergio Aguero's botch from the penalty spot, when Manchester City were leading 1-0, went a long way towards shifting the tide in Chelsea's favour. Pep's side also had a couple of goals chalked off due to offside. It was a game decided by fine margins and both sides will be well-advised not to make much of that.
The Blues then suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal before losing to Leicester City in the FA Cup final. Chelsea were much stronger compared to the Foxes but they struggled to hold their own at Wembley.
Chelsea suffered yet another defeat on the final day of the season. They lost 2-1 to Aston Villa when a win could have easily secured them Champions League qualification. Instead they had to rely on Tottenham Hotspur beating Leicester City to ensure a place in the Premier League top 4.
Chelsea have lost three of their last four games and that is simply not the kind of form you want to be bringing into a Champions League final. The fact that they've crumbled in high-stakes situations in recent weeks will be concerning for Thomas Tuchel.
#2 Pep Guardiola has won two Champions League finals
Pep Guardiola guided Barcelona to two Champions League triumphs in his first ever stint as manager. They beat Manchester United both times. He couldn't get past the semi-final stage at Bayern Munich in three seasons. Bayern were knocked out by the La Liga giants, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively.
But he has got an extremely talented set of players at Manchester City. After conceding two defeats to Tuchel's Chelsea already this season, Guardiola will be desperate to get the better of his German counterpart. Manchester City's 5-0 win over Everton on the final day of the Premier League season will have boosted the morale of their squad right before their biggest game of the season.
Meanwhile, Tuchel was able to take his Paris Saint-Germain side to the final of the UEFA Champions League last term. Despite being the stronger side over the 90 minutes, they lost to Bayern Munich as the Bavarians were simply more clinical with their chances. Here again, Tuchel runs that same risk as he lacks a clinical finisher.
#1 Manchester City midfielders are capable of running the show
While Chelsea were able to dominate the exceptional Real Madrid midfielders, they will be up for a completely different challenge against Manchester City. The likes of N'Golo Kante, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount hounded the ageing Real Madrid midfielders throughout and Zidane's men couldn't match those levels of intensity.
But Manchester City's midfield is relatively young and more energetic. Pep also has an array of midfielders to choose from. Fernandinho, Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne are likely to feature and all of those players are technically proficient and will bust their guts for 90 minutes.
If Manchester City can edge the midfield battle, which it looks like they will, the game will be theirs for the taking. Pep's team have been too relentless and creative in the final third for any side to keep them at bay. They've scored at least two goals in six of their last seven matches and Chelsea's defenders will need to outdo themselves to keep them quiet.
