Inter Milan v Bayern Munich Saturday 7.45 pm (Live Sky Sports 1, RTE 2, ITV 1)
Read JOE’s exclusive interview with José Mourinho ahead of the Champions League Final here.
It’s a measure of the man that most of the focus during Inter Milan’s journey to this year’s Champions League final has been on their mercurial manager José Mourinho. And should they emerge triumphant on Saturday evening in Madrid, he will continue to lap up all the accolades that will come his way.
And although the size of his giant ego is clear for all to see, the accolades are well merited, for the Portuguese has done a fine job with this Inter Milan team, as is evident in the Nerrazurri’s annexing of the domestic league and cup double already this season.
Inter will be firm favourites to complete the treble on Saturday evening and deliver a long awaited European title, deservedly so considering the path they had to negotiate to reach the final. Chelsea in the last sixteen and Barcelona in the semi final were dispatched with a combination of opportunism at home and defensive discipline on their travels.
It has been well documented that Inter’s starting eleven usually fails to include even a single Italian; Mourinho instead relies on a South American core to provide stability with Dutchman Wesley Sneijder on hand for a bit of craft and ingenuity in midfield and Samuel Eto’o leading the line up front.
In Lucio and Walter Samuel, Inter have the stand out centre half partnership in the competition this season and alongside them, Javier Zanetti has defied his 36 years by slotting in seamlessly in the unfamiliar surroundings of left back.
Lucio has been a rock at the heart of the Inter defence
As he showed against Barcelona at home, Maicon is a serious attacking threat from full back and without Franck Ribery to keep him occupied, he will eat up the ground in the Bernabeu on Saturday.
For some reason, Diego Maradona saw fit to exclude Esteban Cambiasso from the Argentinean World Cup Squad, a mystery in that there are few better at winning possession in the middle of the field than Cambiasso, as was evident against the illustrious Barcelona midfield in the semi-final.
The bite of Cambiasso and Dejan Stankovic in the middle of the park creates room for the impish Sneijder to create opportunities for Eto’o and Diego Milito up front and stopping the Dutchman will be high on Bayern’s list of priorities for Saturday evening.
Inter are not the only ones going into Saturday’s final on the back of domestic success, with Bayern securing a double of their own last Saturday with victory over Werder Bremen in the German cup final.
Following a poor start to the season, Louis van Gaal has transformed the Bavarian side’s fortunes, although he will count himself slightly lucky to have progressed this far in the competition. Bayern’s last sixteen victory over Fiorentina was largely down to an outrageous decision by the linesman not to rule Miroslav Klose’s offside when the striker scored the winner in the first leg of the tie.
Some spectacular goals from Arjen Robben have helped Bayern to the final
Bayern went on to win that tie on away goals, a feat they repeated in the quarter-finals against a Manchester United side going through their worst period of the season. In that tie, as against Fiorentina, they progressed thanks to a winner of real beauty from Arjen Robben.
The Dutchman has been in superb form this season and like his compatriot Sneijder, he has shown the folly in Real Madrid’s ruthless culling of talent in pursuit of their so far unsuccessful attempt at Galacticos mark 2.
Robben’s threat cutting in from the right wing was supplemented by Ribery darting in from the left and Bayern will sorely miss the Frenchman on Saturday evening. Ivica Olic will run his legs into the ground up front and Mark van Bommel and Bastian Schweinsteiger will not be intimidated by the Inter Milan midfield, but the absence of Ribery’s guile could be telling against a side for whom defensive lapses are extremely rare.
It is in defence where Bayern’s real problems lie. Philip Lahm is a fine full back but renowned more for his attacking threat than his defensive nous, while Martin Demichelis and Daniel van Buyten have looked like accidents waiting to happen at times in the campaign. Behind them, the ageing Hans Jorg-Butt may be well able to take a penalty, but he’s susceptible to dropping the odd clanger and Eto’o, Milito, Sneijder would be wise to test him early and often at the Bernabeu.
Inter will probably dictate the pace of this game, but an early goal from Bayern could really open things up and make for an extremely interesting final. All eyes will, as ever, be on Mourinho, but the unassuming van Gaal will be eager to upset the party at a ground that, for all the world looks like José will be calling home next year.
The Odds:
Inter Milan 5/4, Bayern Munich 23/10, Draw 11/5
JOE Prediction:
Inter’s defence has been superb already this campaign and in the absence of Franck Ribery, we can’t see them conceding many on Saturday. Mourinho to depart the Italians on a high note before returning to the Bernabeu to take over the mighty Real Madrid next season. 3-1 Inter.
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