Champions League final: Man City vs Inter facts and stats

The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul is the venue for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final as Manchester City look to claim the trophy for the first time against three-time winners Inter Milan.

Although this is only City's second European Cup final, it is their second in three seasons having lost an all-English contest 1-0 to Chelsea in Porto in 2021. Inter have reached this stage for the first time since claiming their third European Cup in Madrid in 2010; this is their sixth final appearance and, like City, second in the UEFA Champions League.

Newly-crowned Premier League champions City are unbeaten in this season's UEFA Champions League, winning seven of their 12 contests on the way to Istanbul and knocking out Bayern München and holders Real Madrid. They could become the 15th side to lift the trophy without losing a game and eighth in the UEFA Champions League era

Inter, the 2022/23 Coppa Italia winners, have suffered two defeats on their way to this final, both against Bayern at the start and end of their group stage campaign. They have won four of their six knockout games, keeping five clean sheets.

This is the sides' first meeting. It is the first time since Liverpool beat Inter's city rivals AC Milan on penalties in 2005, in the only other UEFA Champions League final staged in Istanbul, that the two finalists have never previously met in UEFA competition.

The rematch between those two clubs in 2007, when Milan defeated Liverpool 2-1 in Athens, is the most recent of four previous Anglo-Italian European Cup finals, all of them involving Liverpool, who have won two (both on penalties) and lost two.

Final pedigree

Manchester City

This is City's second European Cup final:
2020/21: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City

Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva, İlkay Gündoğan, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez all started City's defeat by Chelsea at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto two years ago. Scott Carson, Nathan Aké, Aymeric Laporte and Rodri were unused substitutes for Pep Guardiola's side.

City could become the 23rd side to win the European Cup, and the first new name on the trophy since Chelsea's 2012 triumph.

England have 14 European Cup triumphs from 25 final appearances; in the UEFA Champions League era it is six wins and nine defeats. This is the fifth of the last six UEFA Champions League finals to involve Premier League representation.

This is City's third European final. They beat Polish club Górnik Zabrze 2-1 at Vienna's Prater Stadion in the 1969/70 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

Guardiola, a winner with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, could become the sixth coach to win the European Cup with two different clubs, after Ernst Happel (Feyenoord 1970, Hamburg 1983), Ottmar Hitzfeld (Borussia Dortmund 1997, Bayern 2001), José Mourinho (Porto 2004, Inter 2010), Jupp Heynckes (Real Madrid 1998, Bayern 2013) and Carlo Ancelotti (AC Milan 2003, 2007, Real Madrid 2014, 2022).

Gündoğan scored Dortmund's goal from the penalty spot in their 2-1 UEFA Champions League final defeat by Bayern in 2013. Only three players have found the net for different clubs in the European Cup final; Velibor Vasović (Partizan 1966, Ajax 1969), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United 2008, Real Madrid 2014, 2017) and Mario Mandžukić (Bayern 2013, Juventus 2017).

Inter

Inter's record in European Cup finals is W3 L2:
1963/64: Inter 3-1 Real Madrid
1964/65: Inter 1-0 Benfica
1966/67: Celtic 2-1 Inter
1971/72: Ajax 2-0 Inter
2009/10: Inter 2-0 Bayern

Victory would take Inter on to four European Cups, level with Ajax and behind only Real Madrid (14), Milan (seven), Bayern, Liverpool (both six) and Barcelona (five). They are currently on three alongside City's local rivals Manchester United.

Inter are the last Italian side to win the UEFA Champions League; indeed, only one Serie A club has featured in the final since they beat Bayern in Madrid 13 years ago, Juventus losing in 2015 and 2017.

Italian clubs have triumphed in 12 European Cup finals, losing 16. In the UEFA Champions League era their record is five wins and eight defeats.

The Nerazzurri lost 3-2 to Sevilla in the 2020 UEFA Europa League final, making their record in UEFA finals overall W8 L5.

Inter have won three of their five UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League finals, both European/South American Cups and lost to Atlético de Madrid in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup.

Form guide

Manchester City

This is City's 12th UEFA Champions League campaign, all in succession; they have featured every season from 2011/12 onwards.

Including this season, the Manchester club's last ten campaigns have all stretched into the knockout rounds, their best performance coming in that 2020/21 campaign when they reached a first final before losing to Chelsea.

In 2021/22, City finished first in Group A on 12 points, one ahead of Paris, having won four of their six games. They then beat Sporting CP (5-0 a, 0-0 h) and Atlético de Madrid (1-0 h, 0-0 a) but were eliminated by eventual champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

This season the Manchester club scored 11 goals in winning their first three games, sealing qualification with a goalless draw at Copenhagen on Matchday 4. They were also held 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund in their next fixture before a 3-1 home victory against Sevilla.

Guardiola's side have finished first in their UEFA Champions League group for six successive seasons.

City drew 1-1 at Leipzig in the round of 16 first leg before a record-equalling 7-0 home win in the return, in which Erling Haaland scored five goals – only the third player to do so in the UEFA Champions League. That was City's joint biggest European victory.

Bayern were then beaten 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final, City going through thanks to a 1-1 second-leg draw in Germany before ending Real Madrid's reign as holders (1-1 a, 4-0 h), the second-leg result the Spanish side's joint biggest UEFA Champions League loss.

City scored 14 goals in winning their three home knockout games, drawing all three away fixtures 1-1 to make it five successive draws in the competition outside Manchester.

Haaland has 12 goals in this season's UEFA Champions League, four more than any other player, while De Bruyne leads the assists charts with seven. The Norwegian striker was also the 2020/21 competition's top scorer with ten goals for Borussia Dortmund.

City are the top scorers in the 2022/23 competition with 31 goals – five more than Benfica, Madrid and Napoli. Inter have managed 19.

On 20 May City won their third successive Premier League title, their fifth in six seasons and a ninth league title overall – and seventh since 2011/12.

This is the first time City have faced Italian opponents since the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League group stage, when they beat Atalanta 5-1 at home before a 1-1 draw at San Siro in Milan.

Although City have won three of their last four games against Serie A sides, drawing the other, they have only four victories in their last 12 matches with Italian clubs (D5 L3). Their all-time record against Italian opposition is W6 D6 L4.

This is only City's third knockout tie with an Italian side in UEFA competition, and the first since a 3-0 second-leg victory in Manchester completed a 5-2 aggregate successive against Inter's local rivals Milan in the 1978/79 UEFA Cup third round. They lost to Juventus in the other, in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup first round (1-0 h, 0-2 a).

City's only previous visit to Türkiye in UEFA competition came in the club's very first continental tie, in the first round of the 1968/69 European Cup, when they lost the second leg 2-1 to Fenerbahçe in Istanbul to go out by the same aggregate score.

City's record in two UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W2 L0:
4-2 v Midtjylland, 2008/09 UEFA Cup second qualifying round
4-3 v Aalborg, 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 16

Inter

This is the Nerazzurri's 16th UEFA Champions League campaign and a fifth in a row, their longest run since they appeared for ten successive seasons between 2002/03 and 2011/12. This is their 12th appearance in the knockout stage.

Simone Inzaghi's side ended the club's run of three successive group stage eliminations last term by finishing second behind Real Madrid in Group D; Inter recovered after taking only one point from their first two fixtures to finish on ten and reach the round of 16 for the first time since 2011/12.

Inter's campaign ended in the first knockout round, however, despite a 1-0 second-leg win at Liverpool, the damage having been done by a 2-0 loss in the first game in Milan.

Inter were second in Serie A in 2021/22, finishing two points behind Milan.

This season Inter's Group C campaign started and finished with 2-0 defeats against Bayern, but they remained unbeaten in between those losses, collecting ten points including a decisive four against Barcelona (1-0 h, 3-3 a) and wrapping up progress with a 4-0 success at home to Viktoria Plzeň on Matchday 5.

The Milan club edged past Porto in the round of 16, winning 1-0 in Milan before holding out for a goalless draw in Portugal, and overcame another Portuguese side in the last eight, a 2-0 first-leg win at Benfica preceding a 3-3 draw in Milan in which Inter led 3-1 until the 86th minute.

Inter then overcame city rivals AC Milan in the semi-finals, winning 2-0 in the away leg and 1-0 at home.

The Nerazzurri have scored 199 goals in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final.

Inter have kept clean sheets in eight of their last 11 UEFA Champions League matches, including five of the six in this season's knockout phase. They have, however, conceded ten goals in the competition this season – twice as many as Manchester City.

Last season's round of 16 loss to Liverpool made Inter's aggregate record in knockout ties against English clubs W6 L6. The six defeats have come in the last eight contests, including four of the last five.

All three of the Nerazzurri's European Cup triumphs have included victories against English opponents. They beat Everton in the 1963/64 preliminary round (0-0 a, 1-0 h) and Liverpool in the semi-finals the following season (1-3 a, 3-0 h), defeating Chelsea in the 2009/10 round of 16 (2-1 h, 1-0 a).

The win at Liverpool last season was Inter's first against an English club outside Milan since that 2010 victory at Chelsea.

Inter have seven wins in their last 12 games against Premier League opposition, losing the other five.

Inter have played five previous UEFA matches in Türkiye (W1 D2 L2) with no victories in the last four. Their two previous encounters in Istanbul brought a goalless draw against Beşiktaş in the first leg of the 1987/88 UEFA Cup first round, a tie they won 3-1 on aggregate, and a 1-0 defeat by Fenerbahçe in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage. They have therefore yet to score in Istanbul.

Inter's record in four UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W2 L2:
5-4 v Celtic, 1971/72 European Cup semi-final
3-4 v Aston Villa, 1994/95 UEFA Cup first round
5-3 v Grazer AK, 1996/97 UEFA Cup second round
1-4 v Schalke, 1996/97 UEFA Cup final

Links and trivia

Edin Džeko scored 72 goals in 189 games in all competitions for City between 2011 and 2015. He was part of the Premier League title-winnings sides in 2011/12, scoring the second goal in the decisive 3-2 comeback win against Queens Park Rangers on the final day, and 2013/14, the FA Cup in 2010/11 and the English League Cup in 2013/14.

Have also played in England:
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United 2016–18, Arsenal 2018–19)
Matteo Darmian (Manchester United 2015–19)
Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea 2011/12, 2013, 2021/22, West Brom 2012/13 loan, Everton 2013–17, Manchester United 2017–19)

Lukaku's record in his 18 games against City is W3 D3 L12. He has scored five goals, all for Everton, most notably in 2016/17 in a 1-1 draw at the City of Manchester Stadium and a 4-0 home success at Goodison Park. The Belgian striker is currently on loan to Inter from Chelsea.

Guardiola finished his playing career in Europe with spells at Brescia (2001/02, 2003) and Roma (2002/03).

Inzaghi scored in Lazio's 5-0 win against Guardiola's Brescia on 4 November 2001. Lazio were also 3-1 winners in Rome against Brescia on 17 May 2003, the penultimate game of Guardiola's European playing career.

One of Guardiola's three Serie A goals was a penalty for Brescia in a 2-1 defeat away to Inter on 14 April 2002.

Guardiola's staff at City includes Enzo Maresca, who played in Italy with Juventus, Bologna, Piacenza, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Palermo and Verona.

Inter goalkeeper André Onana was in the Barcelona academy when Guardiola was the first team coach between 2010 and 2012.

Onana, who has made more saves (45) than any other goalkeeper in this season's UEFA Champions League, is the only player from either side to have played every minute of the campaign. Džeko, Mkhitaryan and Lautaro Martínez have also appeared for Inter in all 12 matches – as have Bernardo Silva, Gündoğan and Jack Grealish for City.

Have played together:
John Stones & Romelu Lukaku (Everton 2013–16)
Kevin De Bruyne & Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea 2013)
İlkay Gündoğan & Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund 2013–16)

International team-mates:
Nathan Aké & Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands)
İlkay Gündoğan & Robin Gosens (Germany)
Julián Álvarez & Lautaro Martínez, Joaquín Correa (Argentina)
Kevin De Bruyne & Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

Álvarez and Martínez were both members of Argentina's victorious squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Nicolò Barella and Lukaku were both on the scoresheet as Italy defeated Belgium 2-1 in the UEFA EURO 2020 quarter-finals. De Bruyne played 90 minutes for Belgium.

Barella went on to play in Italy's victories on penalties against a Spain team including Rodri and Aymeric Laporte in the semi-finals and, in the final, an England side fielding Walker, Stones, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish.

Walker, Stones, Phillips, Grealish and Foden all played as England won 2-1 in Italy, Barella and Francesco Acerbi appearing for the home side, in a UEFA EURO 2024 qualifier on 23 March.

Barella scored against De Bruyne's Belgium as the Azzurri again prevailed 2-1 in the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals third-placed play-off.

Gündoğan and Alessandro Bastoni both scored – the latter with his first international goal – as Germany defeated Italy 5-2 in the UEFA Nations League on 14 June 2022. Barella and Federico Dimarco also played for Italy.

Dumfries scored in the Netherlands' 4-1 defeat of De Bruyne's Belgium 4-1 in the UEFA Nations League on 3 June 2022.

Gosens scored for Germany in a 4-2 win against Dias's Portugal at UEFA EURO 2020, the Manchester City defender also scoring an own goal.

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