The highly-anticipated UEFA Champions League final is drawing closer by the hour. Man City and Chelsea are set to do battle at 3 p.m. ET for the coveted title, with the Cityzens aiming to end their wait for European success while the Blues are keen on finishing the season with silverware.
Guardiola and Tuchel, two of the best active tacticians in world football, will renew their rivalry while De Bruyne and Co. will lock horns with Mount and the boys for the fourth time this season. Will the Premier League champions be crowned the 2020/21 kings of Europe or will the Stamford Bridge outfit come away with a second UCL title?
Here are the key stats you should be aware of ahead of the UEFA Champions League final.
The only other time Chelsea and Man City met in Europe
Man City and Chelsea have been two of England's most successful teams over the last two decades, but despite this, they have only met once before in Europe. That encounter came in the 1970-71 Cup Winners' Cup semi-final, a two-legged affair. The London giants emerged triumphant on that occasion, beating the Cityzens 1-0 both home and away.
Tuchel made history by making the final but will look to avoid horrible record
Having guided PSG to the UEFA Champions League final last season, Thomas Tuchel became the first manager to lead two different teams to the ultimate stage in consecutive seasons. However, a defeat against Man City would see him become the third coach after Marcello Lippi (1997 & 1998, Juventus) and Héctor Cúper (2000 & 2001, Valencia) to lose back-to-back finals.
Pep looking to end horrible record
Guardiola's failure to win a UCL title since 2011 is no secret. However, an even more worrying statistic is the fact that the last seven teams to make their Champions League final debut all lost. Will City bring that trend to an end?
The last 7 teams to make their debut in a UCL Final have all lost
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2000, Valencia
2002, B. Leverkusen
2004, Monaco
2006, Arsenal
2008, Chelsea
2019, Spurs
2020, PSG
2021, Man City pic.twitter.com/wYINwhy65d
Tuchel's record against Guardiola
De Bruyne and Co. won 3-1 when these two sides met at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. However, since Tuchel arrived, their fortunes have switched, with Guardiola losing his two encounters with the German (1-0 in the FA Cup semis and 2-1 in the EPL). It should be noted though that in both of those defeats, the Spaniard rested several of his star players.
The similarities between Chelsea this season and when they won the UCL in 2012
When Chelsea last won the UCL in 2012:
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 29, 2021
Fired young manager mid-season
Beat Portuguese team in QF
Beat Spanish team in SF
New £50m striker scored in SF
Man City won PL
Conte won Serie A
Is history going to repeat itself? pic.twitter.com/qwUSxAz5Gn
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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