Sabasports Match Preview
UEFA Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain vs Inter
Kickoff Time: 2025-06-01 03:00(HKT)
Source:REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Paris Saint-Germain is making its second appearance in the UEFA Champions League final in team history. Last summer, Paris officially bid farewell to the “era of superstars.” The luxurious front line formed by Neymar Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi, was officially disbanded. The front three were replaced by locals Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, and Desire Doue. However, despite this change, the overall strength of the team did not decrease but instead increased. PSG eliminated strong contenders such as Liverpool and Arsenal during their journey to the final, showcasing a convincing performance. Ultimately, this was due to two key transformations introduced by coach Luis Enrique. First, the transformation of the team environment saw French become the dominant language in the locker room, with almost every player capable of using it. In the past, Paris had relatively loose requirements for players’ language skills, and some stars might stay in Paris for years without even learning basic French. After French once again took center stage in the locker room, the team no longer divided into factions, releasing unprecedented cohesion. Second, there was a transformation in tactical adjustments. Ousmane Dembele, known for his versatility, was moved to the central position, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue, and another versatile winger took turns attacking from the flanks. This adjustment unlocked Dembele’s playmaking abilities, making Enrique’s “false nine” experiment very successful. On this season’s Champions League stage, Dembele has already contributed eight goals and three assists, setting a new career high.
Inter is making its second appearance in the UEFA Champions League final within three years. Last June, the club officially changed ownership, ending the eight-year era under Suning and making Oaktree Capital the owner of Inter. Due to not having significant achievements in the transfer market compared to the previous UEFA Champions League final in the 2022-2023 season, the starting lineup of Inter has seen minimal changes. Edin Dzeko has been replaced by Marcus Thuram at the striker position, and Andre Onana at goalkeeper has been replaced by Yann Sommer. This has made Inter the oldest average age team among the 16 teams in this season’s UEFA Champions League. Thanks to maintaining their core squad structure, Inter’s tactics have been very mature. In the three-man defensive system, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni take charge of interception and ball recovery, while Yann Bisseck provides protection from deep positions. In midfield, Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan form a “scissor duo,” cutting off opponents’ passing lanes. Offensively, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram complement each other. This tactical setup places great importance on the roles of the two forwards. However, towards the end of the league campaign, both Lautaro and Thuram have noticeably declined in form. Both only scored one goal in May. Most often, Inter relied on set-piece tactics to score goals. For example, in their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, Denzel Dumfries twice transformed into a “flying Dutchman,” wreaking havoc on Barca’s defense like a god descending from heaven. Facing PSG’s skilled passing and control attack group, it is expected that Inter will stick to a pragmatic approach, employing more offside traps, utilizing wing runs, and one-touch passes through the channels to create counter-attack opportunities. This will be a clash between the aesthetics of possession-based football and pragmatism.
At critical moments, Inter has relied on veterans like Francesco Acerbi to step up, while Paris has witnessed the explosion and growth of young players after entering the knockout stage. The on-field performance of players will be the deciding factor in this game. Among these factors, Paris is bound to outperform Inter, as PSG has several stars who played and excelled in Serie A, such as Gianluigi Donnarumma (formerly of AC Milan), Achraf Hakimi (formerly of Inter), Fabian Ruiz (formerly of Napoli), and winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. They are well acquainted with the defensive rhythms of Italian teams. Undoubtedly, the balance of victory tilts slightly towards Paris. It is predicted that Paris Saint-Germain will win within regular time.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Last 5 Games: WWWWL
25-05-25 Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Reims
25-05-18 Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Auxerre
25-05-11 Montpellier 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain
25-05-08 Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Arsenal
25-05-03 Strasbourg 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain
Inter’s Last 5 Games: WDWDW
25-05-24 Como 1907 0-2 Inter
25-05-19 Inter 2-2 Lazio
25-05-12 Torino 0-2 Inter
25-05-07 Inter 3-3 Barcelona (ET 1-0)
25-05-04 Inter 1-0 Verona
Head To Head Record:
23-08-01 Paris Saint-Germain 1-2 Inter
19-07-27 Inter 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain (PEN 6-5)
15-12-31 Inter 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain
14-12-31 Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Inter
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain to win