The 70th European Cup/UEFA Champions League final is upon us. After 278 games played between the qualifying rounds and main competition, we are down to the final two clubs out of an initial 81.
Paris Saint-Germain and Internazionale are set to battle it out in Munich for club football’s greatest prize. Both have impressed in the competition this term, and we can be rest assured that Saturday’s final will be a good one. It is the first time in 21 years that the Champions League final does not involve an English, Spanish, or German team.
Here is The Deck’s preview of the final, looking at each team’s road to Wednesday’s match, as well as some stats. Finally, we will also provide a prediction as to which club will lift the trophy at the Allianz Arena.
UEFA Champions League Final
Paris Saint-Germain
Record in 24/25 UCL: 10-1-5, 33 goals for, 15 goals against
Leading scorer: Ousmane Dembélé (8)
Previous UCL Best: Finalists, 2019/20, 2024/25
For the second time in club history, Paris Saint-Germain will contest a Champions League final. Five years on from heartbreak in Lisbon, Les Parisiens are back, and will hope to claim their maiden UCL trophy.
The league phase largely did not go as they wished. Having won just once in their opening five outings – while losing three times – the French side came alive after that. Three straight wins to close out the inaugural league phase saw them finish 15th.
After dismantling fellow Ligue 1 side Brest, they overcame a first leg deficit in the round of 16 to knock off Liverpool. Aston Villa was next to fall at the hands of Luis Enrique’s men before prevailing across both semifinals against Arsenal.
Excluding the UEFA Super Cup, this will be PSG’s fourth major continental final. Since defeated Rapid Wien 29 years ago in the Cup Winners Cup, domestic double winners failed to replicate that glory since. Curiously, all three of the club’s previous finals have ended 1-0 for the victor.
Having already won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, PSG is looking to become the ninth side to complete the domestic treble. It would also be the second time in three campaigns a club managed to do this (Manchester City). They are also trying to avoid becoming the fourth different team to lose multiple Champions League finals without ever winning it (Atlético Madrid, Reims, and Valencia).
Internazionale Milano
Record in 24/25 UCL: 10-3-1, 26 goals for, 11 goals against
Leading scorer: Lautaro Martínez (9)
Previous UCL Best: Finalists, 2019/20, 2024/25
Internazionale has shown some serious resilience in this season’s Champions League, particularly last round. As such, they are now in their seventh UCL showpiece, and second in their last three years. Fifteen years on from their last success, the Nerazzurri are a game away from their fourth European Cup.
Unlike their Saturday opponent, Inter cruised through the league phase, winning six of eight matches and conceding just once. Breaking the Italian side down proved to be quite the challenge. After all, they have kept eight clean sheets in the competition this campaign.
The knockout stages, as expected, proved to be more challenging. In the round of 16, they got past Feyenoord. Then, they took out Bayern Munich in a tight quarterfinal. The Bavarians were hoping to play the final in their home venue, but Inter once again proved to be much for them. Extra time was needed in the semifinals to separate them and Barcelona after a 13-goal thriller.
That puts them on the precipice of another European trophy, which would be their sixth overall. They would also be the second Italian club after their local rivals AC Milan to hold a winning record in UCL finals.
Across previous head-to-heads against Ligue 1 teams, Inter holds a record of 13-9-7. They have come out on top in four of their last five encounters, the sole exception coming 13 years ago at the round of 16. During the league phase, the Nerazzurri defeated AS Monaco 3-0 at home on matchday 8.
Prediction: Who Will Win the Final?
Saturday’s final will be the third between a French and Italian club. Both countries have seen their team come out on top once each. Olympique Marseille defeated AC Milan in the 1992/93 UCL final, the first under the competition’s new guise. To this date, that was the only time a Ligue 1 club won the Champions League. Six years later, Parma earned a 3-0 success at the expense of Marseille to lift their second UEFA Cup.
Similar to the Conference League final, PSG and Inter have already qualified for the UCL next season via their respective domestic leagues. So, a major trophy is the only thing of note on the line here, along with some extra prize money.
Remarkably, this is the first time that the two clubs will meet in a UEFA club competition, despite their regular appearances in Europe. This is the second European final this term where that is the case, with the Europa League being the other one.
It is a matter of the better attack against the better defence on Saturday night. The difference is, Inter started to concede goals over the last few rounds. After all, nine of their 11 goals conceded in the tournament came in the last two rounds. With that said, they are properly battle-tested, having faced two massive names in global football.
PSG is chasing history as they aim to achieve a domestic treble, and become the 24th different club to win the UCL. It would also be a second first-time winner in the last three seasons, after Manchester City did so two years ago, also at Inter’s expense.
But the real question is, who will come out on top in Germany? PSG will be more rested, having left a few key players on the bench. Inter did the same in their last Serie A match. More is on the line for the Nerazzurri,who lost out on the title and cup. With all of this in mind, we feel PSG will have the slight advantage here. They have gotten even more impressive, making it difficult to see how Inter can manage this younger and more energetic team.
We will be in for an interesting final as two potential surprise names meet up. Will PSG complete the treble, or will Inter make it four UCL titles? It should be another great game, as is worth the watch.