Key events
Some transfer news: Tottenham Hotspur have elected to make Kevin Danso’s loan move from Lens permanent, while Arsenal have been quoted a non-negotiable price of £75m for RB Leipzig’s Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko. Chelsea are reported to be sniffing around Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, while Manchester City are preparing a bid for Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki.
Club World Cup: Real Madrid’s decision to pay Liverpool £10m for the early release of Trent Alexander-Arnold from his contract, the first piece of mini-transfer window business is a significant moment for Fifa’s Gianni Infantino and his heinous creation, writes Barney Ronay.
England 6-0 Portugal
Women’s Nations League: Aggie Beever-Jones went home with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick in England’s demolition of Portugal at Wembley last night. Words: Suzanne Wrack.
Simone Inzaghi: “We need to face Paris knowing there will be moments in which we’ll suffer, and other moments when we’ll have the ball and they’ll need to defend,” said Inter’s head coach in his pre-final presser yesterday. “Details and moments are key. We need to go out there with desire and determination to win the game. PSG are a very strong side, but we will play to our strengths.
“We have had a very tough run so far, facing [Manchester] City, Arsenal, Bayern and Barça, but we have made it this far and we don’t want to stop here. With Inter it is always a big match, but when it’s a final, it’s different. We deserve to be here, from our first game away at City, but we are still one step short. We know what an important game this is. Winning and losing makes all the difference in the world. We have triumphed and despaired domestically in Serie A, so as players and myself as a coach, we have been through it all. But the job is to put a big smile on the faces of our fans. The entire Curva Nord will be behind us.”
Tottenham Hotspur: While Ange Postecoglou’s future remainsn up in the air at Spurs, there is no such uncertainty over the tenures of Fraser Forster and Sergio Reguilon, who will be released by the club when their contracts expire at the end of next month.
Reguilon, who joined Spurs in 2020, struggled to adapt to life in north London and was sent out on loan to Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford before making just four Premier League appearances this season. Goalkeepers Alfie Whiteman and Forster also depart the club, with Timo Werner’s exit being confirmed following an unsuccessful loan spell from RB Leipzig.
Ben Davies, who is out of contract this summer, was not named on the list of those being let go by the club and a final decision on whether to trigger the 12-month option in the 32-year-old Welsh international’s contract is still to be made.
Champions League One: Plymouth Argyle have announced boss Miron Muslic has left the club to take over at the German side Schalke. Argyle “reluctantly allowed” the Bosnia-born Austrian to begin talks to leave earlier this week, following their relegation from the Championship this season.
Now Muslic has taken over the seven-time German champions, who have been playing in the second tier since relegation in 2023. Muslic replaced Wayne Rooney at Home Park in January but by his own account, was not appointed in time to save Plymouth from suffering relegation to League One.
“Miron Muslic has departed the club to join 2. Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04,” said Argyle in a statement. “Muslic joined Argyle in January, overseeing 23 matches, including the memorable victory against Liverpool in the Emirates FA Cup. Despite his best efforts, he could not stave off relegation with Argyle dropping to Sky Bet League One on the final day of the season. We wish Miron all the best for his future endeavours.”
Luis Enrique: “When a team retreats into its own half, it’s automatically very difficult because there’s little space and a lot of density,” said PSG’s head coach, of the potential challenges his team will face against Inter. “We’re used to playing against teams like that. The problem is that Inter have a lot of very good players, both defensively and offensively. That’s why they reached the final two years ago. We’ll have to adapt in real time depending on how the game unfolds.”
Asked about his own squad, the Spaniard had this to say: “The chemistry within the squad is the same as it has been since last season,” he said. “I have an exceptional squad that I’ve got on very well with since my first day here. I haven’t changed anything since then. I have 10 more years of experience than I did when I was last involved in a Champions League final. I’ve been able to work hard over the years. I try to convey to my team the joy of playing in this final. I think we’re ready, just like Inter. We’ll do our best to play a good final and, of course, win it.”
Marquinhos: “We worked really hard on our defending, but will not change our tactical system,” said PSG’s Brazilian skipper ahead of tonight’s game. “We’ll try to annul their strikers, who are the core strength, but also the wingers that attack with pace. We prepared something, but I cannot tell you much about that. I can assure you that we will not change our general approach that got us this far. I think it is going to be an entertaining game of football, with Inter and us both relying on our strengths.
“I am a veteran here now, I adore this team and it is wonderful to be a part of it. We mustn’t pile too much pressure on the younger players, but keep a balance. We know the strengths that Inter bring to the pitch and they analysed us too, so it’s about focusing on the details. This is an opportunity to write history for this club and it is also a second chance for me. We’ll have to give the performance of a lifetime.”
Simone Inzaghi: The future of Inter’s head coach, who has one year left on his contract with the Serie A side, remains up in the air, with strong rumours linking him with a lucrative £25m per year move to Saudi Pro-League side Al Hilal, possibly in time for this summer’s Club World Cup. The Italian is also reported to have held talks with Tottenham Hotspur. Asked about his plans yesterday, Inzaghi gave his interrogators short shrift. ““My future is that tomorrow there is a final,” he said. “That is all I want to talk about.”
Luis Enrique: “Every team does things differently and emphasises certain aspects of the game,” said PSG’s manager of his side’s Italian opponents. “We all know Inter’s competitive spirit, and we know Italian football. They are a very complete team that play the ball well. And when they don’t have the ball, they defend very well. Inter are a team with very clear leaders. We’re not going to change anything in the way we attack or defend, but we’ll have to adapt to the characteristics of each opponent.”
Comment: The Club World Cup looms as powerbrokers from both governing bodies mingle in Munich for Europe’s biggest club game, writes Nick Ames.
Inter: Simone Inzaghi’s talent-packed team will be underdogs against PSG but believe they have learned from 2023 agony, writes Nicky Bandini.
Ousmane Dembele: “This has been a dream of mine since I was a child,” said the PSG striker, whose form this season has been revelatory. “I am very concentrated. This will be an unforgettable moment. I just hope tomorrow will be history in the making. Tomorrow will be a tense game. We know Paris will be vibrating with excitement. You need to keep a cool head. We are very excited but, as has been mentioned, we need to be calm, cool, collected, serious but smiling, because this is an incredible moment for us.”
Lautaro Martinez: “We’ve definitely improved a great deal as a team,” said Inter’s skipper and striker when asked if this iteration of the Serie A side are better equipped to win the Champions League than the team that lost against Manchester City two years ago. “We’ve developed, we’ve grown. We’ve come up against some top-class opponents in some very challenging arenas – we were up against teams that had long unbeaten home records, yet we turned up there, we played our football, we showed what we’re all about and we’ve earned respect in this competition.
Simone Inzaghi: “We have to step onto the pitch with the determination and desire to win this match,” said Inter’s manager, who never got further than the quarter-final as a player. “We’ll play it our way, with the qualities that brought us here. The journey we’ve been on, full of challenges, gives us great belief. We’ve made it this far and don’t want to stop now.”
Luis Enrique: “It has been a very difficult journey, with some really high-level matches since the very beginning of the competition,” said the PSG manager in yesterday’s pre-match press conference. “We’re used to playing these kinds of matches, and I think that can be a strength for us. Now we’ll try to take to the pitch with our best weapons. It’s a final. We’ve prepared for it, and we’ll try to draw the game towards areas where we consider ourselves to be better. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Paris Saint-Germain: Luis Enrique has given his star players a holiday since they wrapped up the French title 57 days ago, writes Luke Entwhistle in Munich. Is that how to prepare for a tough Champions League final against Inter?
Champions League final: Despotism v capitalism in a clash of styles
Comment: “The Champions League final is a jarring and stirring clash of styles in so many ways,” writes Jonathan Liew. “The relentless attack of Paris Saint-Germain and the relentless defence of Inter. One team built on the freehand wizardry of youth and one built on the weathered edifice of experience. Flying wingers against flying wing-backs, two strikers against none. But perhaps the biggest philosophical difference is between two radically different models of a football club itself: who it serves, what it can be, what constitutes success, and how to get there.”
Guardian Football Weekly podcast: Max Rushden was in the chair as the Football Weekly panel previewed tonight’s Champions League final. You can listen to our discussion here and if you’re not already a regular listener, what have you been doing for the past 19 years!?!? You can sign up for Football Weekly on all the usual podcast platforms.
Preamble
Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter in what promises to be a fascinating and particularly intriguing Champions League final at the Allianz Arena this evening. Gnarly, streetwise and more experienced, the Nerazzurri are hoping to put their defeat at the hands of Manchester City two years ago behind them, but will have to overcome a treble-chasing French side to win their fourth European Cup. Younger and arguably more pleasing on the eye in this clash of styles, PSG are looking to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time.
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