2021 Champions League Breakdown: Chelsea Battles Manchester City

For the third time in UEFA Champions League history, two English sides will battle it out for the chance to hoist the trophy on Saturday when Chelsea and Manchester City take the pitch in Portugal.

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea shoot for their second UCL crown in the past decade after defeating Bayern Munich in 2011/12, while Man City will look to lift their first trophy in the competition.

The Citizens ran away with the Premier League this season, beating out Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea in the top four. 

Pep Guardiola’s side dispatched two talented sides in Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain en route to the final, while Chelsea beat out Porto and Real Madrid to qualify for their third UCL final.

Let’s take a closer look at Chelsea and Manchester City as they prepare for their semi final matchup.

Chelsea: Olivier Giroud (6)

Manchester City: Riyad Mahrez/Ferran Torres (4)

Chelsea: N/A

Manchester City: N/A

Chelsea and Manchester United have met three times this season, including earlier this month in the Premier League when the Blues came out on top.

In the all-time head-to-head meetings, Chelsea leads 70 victories to the Citizens’ 59. The two English giants have never met in the Champions League though, setting up another interesting layer for the final.

The beauty of having two sides from the Premier League in the final is that each team knows the other quite well and it’ll be a battle to break through either’s tactics.

Pep Guardiola is as experienced as they come for a manager and the Spaniard looks to win another UCL crown with his third team (Barcelona and Bayern Munich). 

Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel’s revitalization of Chelsea this season after Frank Lampard’s sacking makes the Blues tough to write off despite City’s clear depth and talent at almost every position.

Chelsea have managed to knock off City twice this season through their strong defensive effort and quick counterattacking nature, and that will likely be the game plan once again so long as two key members, Eduoard Mendy and N’Golo Kante, are available to play.

City’s attack runs through Kevin De Bruyne, who has been a menace throughout this season. The Belgium international will be a focal point for Chelsea defensively if they are to keep Man City at bay.

The emergence of Phil Foden has also lifted the Citizens into another gear with his creative play down the wings and when he slots inside. He’s quickly becoming one of the best young attackers in global football.

Prediction: 2-0 Manchester City