Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan lock horns in the 70th Champions League final in Munich on Saturday night.
Always the most eagerly-anticipated fixture in the European club calendar, this year's edition is no different, especially as it will be contested by two clubs that not many onlookers were tipping at the start of the season.
It has been a while since there was such little to separate two clubs ahead of a final too, with Real Madrid's recent dominance always making them the standout favourites, while Manchester City were heavily fancied in their two finals.
Ahead of the showpiece occasion at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, I give my thoughts on the Ballon d'Or race, where the game could be won and lost, how both teams could be exploited, and what it would mean for both clubs going forward.
Will the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner be on the pitch on Saturday?
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The Champions League final has almost seemingly become the precursor to the Ballon d'Or ceremony in recent years, especially in odd years when there are no major international competitions taking place.
Rodri's failure to win the Champions League last year did not scupper his chances, mainly because he was able to help Spain to European Championship glory, but Vinicius Junior's Champions League exploits made him the heavy favourite beforehand.
Lionel Messi's international achievements also prevented the likes of Champions League winners Erling Haaland and Jorginho from taking the gong, while 2020 victor Robert Lewandowski was denied the award due to the pandemic.
However, for five straight years between 2013 and 2018 and when Karim Benzema won it in 2022, the winner of the Ballon d'Or added a Champions League winners medal to their collection that year, and the 2025 winner could follow that trend.
Lamine Yamal is the current favourite for the award, but should PSG win on Saturday night, Ousmane Dembele's chances will surely eclipse the Barcelona teenager, especially given the numbers the Frenchman has put up in 2025.
In 2024-25, Dembele has scored 33 goals and registered 11 assists, and if he can walk away from the campaign with a treble, it would be hard to look past him.
However, if Inter were to be successful, Lautaro Martinez would be the standout candidate, especially if he was to score in the final, as that would take him to 10 Champions League goals this season, but it is highly likely that Yamal would be remain the favourite if the Nerazzurri win in Munich.
Where could the final be won and lost?
Football is often won in the two penalty areas, but ahead of this clash, it is hard to ignore two areas of the pitch that will play a pivotal role in where the trophy is heading on Saturday night.
Which midfield trio will come out top?
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While Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have made most of the headlines during the knockout stages, PSG's midfield three of Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz have been nothing short of sensational, dominating proceedings against Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal.
Inter will more than likely allow PSG to have possession, but with how comfortable the Parisians' midfield three are on the ball, and the ability they have to create chances, could make it a tiring evening for the Nerazzurri, and it may also leave their defence exposed to Luis Enrique's pacy attack.
Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will work tirelessly though, despite having an average age of 31.7, and they are certainly not lacking in ability either, after going toe-to-toe with Barca's maestros Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Dani Olmo in the semi-finals and coming out on top.
Wing-back wizardry in store?
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The most fascinating match-ups will come on the flanks though, and in particular between the wide defenders for both sides, as Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes will go head-to-head with Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco.
PSG right-back and former Inter man Hakimi has scored three and set up another five goals in the Champions League this season, which is the highest number for a defender since Real Madrid's Marcelo in 2017-18, while Mendes has also been excellent, scoring four and assisting two, finding the net in both legs of their quarter-final.
However, Dumfries made the biggest splash in the semi-finals against Barca, keeping Raphinha largely quiet in their hectic 7-6 aggregate win, which saw the Dutchman play a role in all three goals in the first leg, including scoring twice, before assisting another two in the second leg at San Siro, most notably Francesco Acerbi's dramatic late equaliser.
On the opposite flank, Dimarco made headlines for the wrong reasons, as he had the unenviable task of dealing with Yamal, and he was taken off on 55 minutes of both legs, but judging him on those performances would be doing the left wing-back a disservice, as he has proven to be arguably the best player in that position in Europe over the past three seasons.
Dimarco racked up five assists on Inter's journey to the final in 2023, and he has added another two this season in much fewer minutes, on top of the seven he has managed in Serie A, and his wand of a left foot could play a big part in proceedings on Saturday.
Where can either side be exploited on Saturday?
For all their strengths, neither team is perfect though, so Enrique and Simone Inzaghi will be working tirelessly at trying to pinpoint and exploit those weaknesses ahead of the match.
PSG's potential shortcomings
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While he has been the key factor in PSG getting this far due to his penalty saves against Liverpool and heroic performance away to Arsenal, there are still huge question marks around Gianluigi Donnarumma's commandment of his area.
A goalkeeper with problems in the air will be music to the ears of Inzaghi, whose side had great success from crosses and set pieces against both Bayern Munich and Barcelona on their way to the final, and they are likely to make the most of such opportunities, especially with so many players who have such precision from dead-ball situations.
Inter also had much joy at counter-attacking Barca during the semi-final, and PSG will set up in very similar fashion in order to play their free-flowing attacking football, but that will provide a lot of opportunities for the likes of Dumfries, Martinez and Marcus Thuram to make runs in behind and expose the Parisian rearguard, and in Dimarco, Barella, Calhanoglu and Alessandro Bastoni, the Nerazzurri have plenty of players capable of delivering those defence-splitting passes.
Inter's potential shortcomings
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However, Inter will also have to be wary of sitting too deep, as they were guilty of that at times in the quarters and the semis, allowing Bayern and Barca to come back into the game despite taking two-goal leads on multiple occasions.
Especially in both legs against Barca, Inzaghi's men led 2-0 home and away, but found themselves pegged back to 2-2 in almost no time at all, and their tactic of dropping slightly deeper was the cause of that, because Barca had the players to unlock their sturdy defence, and PSG also have that in abundance.
There will also be question marks again over Dimarco's defensive capabilities at left wing-back, and if it were not for his world-class left foot and attacking instincts, Inzaghi would almost certainly be starting Carlos Augusto for this one, given his strengths at stopping wingers.
Augusto had much more joy in keeping Yamal quiet after he was brought on in both legs versus Barca, but if Dimarco does start, that will put more strain on left centre-back Bastoni, who will have to shoulder much of the responsibility at keeping Dembele, Hakimi and possibly Desire Doue quiet.
Would a win mean more to PSG?
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While it may seem quite ridiculous to many to claim that winning a final could be bigger for one club than another, there is a hint of truth to that ahead of this one.
PSG have been ridiculed for many years about their record in Europe since the Qatari takeover, especially due to the implosions against Barcelona in 2017, Manchester City in 2021, and Real Madrid in 2022, which have led many to believe they simply did not have it in them as a club to go all the way in the Champions League.
However, after all the money that has been spent, the fact the club has never won the competition before, and what PSG's fans have endured, especially being forced to watch them lose the 2020 final against Bayern Munich from home due to the COVID pandemic, means it could be revolutionary for the club, who over the last two years have completely changed from a Galacticos project, to one based on embracing youth.
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On the contrary, Inter fans will argue the opposite, even though they have won this competition multiple times in the past, especially after the heartache they suffered in 2023, losing in agonising fashion to Man City, despite having enough chances to win the game.
After winning the treble with Jose Mourinho in 2010, Inter's sudden collapse was astonishing, and the Nerazzurri spent many years in the doldrums, only being revived almost a decade later by Antonio Conte's title-winners, and now by Inzaghi.
The vast majority of Inter fans will remember the success in 2010, and nothing could ever be quite as good as winning the treble, but that was 15 years ago, and they are a club who deserve a major European honour based on their performances in the competition over the past half-decade.
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Andrew Delaney
