UEFA Champions League final: What you need to know 

And then there were two.  

Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final at Munich’s Allianz Arena is an intriguing matchup pitting Serie A giants Inter Milan vs. Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Inter enters this contest riding an eight-game unbeaten run in the competition. PSG had a tough time of it in the last two rounds but showed a lot of grit in booking their spot in Saturday’s showcase match. 

Here’s what you need to know about this year’s final.

The format       

Saturday’s game is a straight knockout final. If the score is tied after 90 minutes of regulation, it will go to extra time and penalty kicks (if necessary) to determine the winner.

Setting the stage for Saturday    

Inter Milan came achingly close to repeating as Serie A champions, but were edged out by Napoli, who won the Scudetto by a single point thanks to their win on the final day of the season.

Paris Saint-Germain is coming off a sensational Ligue 1 season in which it finished top of the table by 19 points to win their fourth consecutive domestic championship (and 11th in 13 years). PSG suffered only two losses during the French league season, and both of those defeats happened after they had already clinched the crown.

Champions League history 

Saturday marks the first-ever competitive meeting between Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. 

It’s also only the second time that Italian and French teams have met in the final of a major European club competition. Olympique Marseille defeated AC Milan in the 1993 final, which was also held in Munich.  

This weekend will be Inter’s seventh appearance in the final, having won it all in 1964, 1965 and 2010. However, the Italians did lose to Manchester City in 2023 in their most recent trip to the final. PSG will be playing in only its second Champions League final, having lost to Bayern Munich in 2020. The Parisian outfit is the last French team to win a major European club trophy — they claimed the 1996 UEFA Club Winners’ Cup. 

Inter Milan is seeking to become the first Italian team to win the Champions League in 15 years since the Nerazzurri defeated Bayern Munich in the final in Madrid. PSG is attempting to become only the second French club to win the tournament and the 24th different team to win the Champions League since its inception in 1955-56 when it was known as the European Cup.

How they arrived at the final    

Inter Milan cruised through the opening phase of the tournament with six wins and took 19 out of a possible 24 points. Their lone blemishes were a draw against Manchester City and a loss to Bayer Leverkusen. Dutch outfit Feyenoord was dispatched in the round of 16 without much concern before the Italians just managed to edge out Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona in the quarterfinals and semifinals by a single goal in the aggregate scoreline. A 4-3 home extra-time win over Barcelona in the second leg was a pure thriller featuring many twists and turns.

Paris Saint-Germain found the going in the opening phase to be a bit more difficult, as they were forced to win a two-game playoff against French rivals Brest in order to advance to the knockout round. A slim win over Liverpool (courtesy of a penalty shootout in the second leg at Anfield) was tense, as was the club’s aggregate victory over Aston Villa in the quarterfinals. PSG made it three series wins in a row over English opposition when it defeated Arsenal in the semifinals. 

The main storyline 

Paris Saint-Germain has dominated the French first division since its Qatari ownership group took control of the club in 2011. But Champions League success had eluded them. PSG has had stars of the calibre of Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and Lionel Messi, but still weren’t able to win the big one. Now with a much more modest but still talented squad, they’re just 90 minutes away from doing it under Spanish manager Luis Enrique. 

At the same time, Inter Milan is looking to get back to the top of the mountain after winning it all 15 years ago. Manager Simone Inzaghi has a veteran core of players who have won everything together in Italy. But this is more than likely the group’s last chance of attaining European glory. 

The key battle: Denzel Dumfries vs. Nuno Mendes   

Inter Milan plays with three defenders who are aided by a pair of wingbacks who like to get forward in support of the attack. PSG, on the other hand, uses a standard back four with its two fullbacks balancing their defensive and attacking duties.

Right wingback Denzel Dumfries was a key figure for Inter in its win over Barcelona in the semifinals, scoring two goals (both on set pieces) and tallying three assists over the two legs. A lot of the attack from the Italians tends to flow through the wings rather than central midfield, with Dumfries playing a starring role. 

It’ll be up to PSG left fullback, Nuno Mendes, to keep Dumfries in check on Saturday. Mendes held his own vs. Liverpool and Arsenal in previous rounds when he went up against Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka. But it’ll be interesting to see how he handles Dumfries, whose speed and threat down the wings pose a different challenge. 

Players to watch    

Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain – The French international has been on fire for his club this season with 33 goals in all competitions, including eight in the Champions League. If he can add to his goal tally and lead PSG to victory on Saturday, he’d give a big boost to his candidacy for the Ballon d’Or award. 

Lautaro Martínez, Inter Milan – The Argentinian international and World Cup winner has nine goals in this season’s Champions League (fifth overall). He’s been a consistent scorer, having found the back of the net in each of the previous three rounds of the knockout stage. 

Burning questions    

Inter has one of the oldest rosters in Europe’s top five leagues, with an average age of 29.4 years. Can the Italians keep up against a PSG squad that boasts an average age of 24.4 and has one of the youngest teams in Europe’s top five leagues? 

PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has won six of the seven career shootouts he’s been involved in, including the round of 16 upset at Anfield. If Saturday’s match goes to penalties, can the Italian national team's shot stopper come up big again?