Man City on cusp of European coronation, but Inter pose threat

ISTANBUL : Manchester City's domination of the English soccer landscape is undisputed after another season of silverware-gathering under Pep Guardiola but against Inter Milan in Saturday's Champions League final they can finally become kings of the continent.

Guardiola delivered an 11th trophy in seven years to owner Sheikh Mansour when City beat Manchester United to win the FA Cup last weekend, having claimed a fifth Premier League title in six seasons a couple of weeks earlier.

Now only Inter stand in the way of a treble that would match Manchester United's still unique feat of 1999.

Emulating that would go a long way to banishing any lingering sense of inferiority that became part of City's DNA when they were stumbling out of the top-flight and their illustrious neighbours were all-conquering.

More pertinently, City's Abu Dhabi owners would finally get their hands on the European trophy that their massive financial investment in the club since 2008 was designed to achieve.

City came close in 2021 when they misfired in the final against Chelsea in Porto - a defeat that still haunts Guardiola who is looking to win the trophy for a third time having taken Barcelona all the way in 2009 and 2011.

This time Guardiola is unlikely to be found wanting against an Inter side who few would have fancied reaching the final for the first time since they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in 2010.

City will start as clear favourites, of that there is no doubt. They outplayed European aristocracy Bayern Munich and Real Madrid en route to the final and have players who will warm the bench in Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday who would waltz into Inter's first team, and indeed most teams in Europe.

With Norwegian Erling Haaland, scorer of 52