Chelsea vs Man City: Five things to look for in the Champions League final

As the curtain prepares to fall on a rollercoaster of a season for Chelsea, there is one last game that awaits. The kind of game that becomes the highlight of a player’s career, for the right or wrong reasons. The kind of game that becomes a precious memory or a painful reminder for supporters. The kind of game that comes once or twice in a decade for most clubs. Arguably the biggest game of football played all year: the UEFA Champions League final.

Here are five things to look for in the Champions League finale against Manchester City:

1. Fairytales and redemption

Man City heads to Porto with the belief that Sunday will be the greatest night in the club’s history, a joyful culmination of a 13-year journey. The Citizens’ manager, Pep Guardiola, is by no means a stranger to the Champions League final. However, the two-time winner has been on a desperate hunt for the elusive trophy for nearly a decade. From Munich to Manchester, the Spaniard has managed the best players and spent more than £1 billion in order to build the best teams. While he’s enjoyed plenty of domestic success, European glory has been hard to come by, which represents a chink in his golden armour.

For Guardiola, Sheik Mansour and the entirety of Man City, the Champions League has become an obsession. One which can finally be bought—I mean, fulfilled—come Sunday. But the world has seen this story before, in another decade, in another shade of blue. It doesn’t necessarily have a fairytale ending just yet. Roman Abramovich and Chelsea know far too well that getting to the Champions League final doesn’t always end with champagne and glory. For that matter, so do Thomas Tuchel and Thiago Silva, with the latter experiencing heartbreak in his final game for Paris Saint-Germain in last year’s final. No perfect ending, no destiny, but a journey similar to the one Sergio Aguero’s been on.

This Chelsea squad has had more than its fair share of heartbreak, with multiple cup final defeats in the last two years. Tuchel and his players know that the biggest moments in life don’t always go to plan, but that’s no reason to give up. From pain comes reflection, from reflection comes improvement and from improvement comes vindication. City might be the odds-on favourite to win on Saturday, but between a fairytale and a tale of redemption, a betting man would put his money on the latter.