Manchester City have made it to their first-ever Champions League final under Pep Guardiola against one-time winners (and two-time finalists) Chelsea.
Going into the tie, a number of the Citizens’ fans could be forgiven for feeling a little nervous ahead of the historic clash between the two English top-flight outfits given that the Sky Blues had succumbed to two defeats in a row from Thomas Tuchel’s men in recent weeks.
The City boss has promised that their London counterparts will face a “completely different beast”, however, in the first all-English Champions League final since Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham in Madrid.
Guardiola will no doubt be more than alert to one subtle, but effective, tactical ploy devised by the Blues’ manager, with Joe Cole highlighting how Chelsea’s aggressive press has caused the Manchester-based side a lot of problems.
If the Premier League-winners are to overcome their opposition tonight, they’ll need to be extremely wary of being penned in their own half and, in particular, of a wandering Antonio Rudiger.
A dual of two tactical masterminds! ?
Joe Cole breaks down exactly why Thomas Tuchels's Chelsea have edged Pep Guardiola's Man City twice this campaign…#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/Edd7GasCe3
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 29, 2021
Pictures courtesy of BT Sport