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There was some tremendous quality on display in Sunday&#8217;s EURO U-21 final between Germany and Portugal, where a Man City man helped the Germans win the tournament by a score of 1-0.
Lukas Nmecha finished off a pass from Wolfsburg&#8217;s Ridle Baku to deliver the Germans another international honor, their third EURO U-21 crown.
[ MORE: <a href="https://www.flyingeze.com/news/euro-2020-squads-full-list-details-confirmed" target="_blank">EURO 2020 squads for all nations</a> ]
Remarkably, Nmecha scored the winner in the EURO U-17 final&#8230; for England&#8230; against Portugal. The 22-year-old scored 21 times for Vincent Kompany&#8217;s Anderlecht on loan from Man City this season.
The talent on both sides was immense, though Germany boasted Bayer Leverkusen phenom Florian Wirtz (18), Hertha Berlin star Arne Maier (22), and influential midfielder Niklas Dorsch of Gent (23).
Dorsch&#8217;s 85 minutes were a masterclass, as the midfielder hit on 30-of-31 passes including 8-of-9 from long range. He also made four tackles and won 6-of-9 duels. How Gent got him from Heidenheim is remarkable.
But it was Baku spotting Nmecha in acres of space with a cutting entry pass that delivered the winner for Germany.
Portugal&#8217;s roster was so deep it had AC Milan&#8217;s Rafael Leao and former Spurs loanee Gedson Fernandes coming off the bench. Manchester United&#8217;s Diogo Dalot, Everton&#8217;s Joao Virginia, and Wolves&#8217; Vitinha were also on the roster.
Keep an eye out for Porto&#8217;s Fabio Vieira, who was named Player of the Tournament. The 21-year-old string-puller started against Man City in the UEFA Champions League group stage this season and appeared in the reverse fixture as well as both quarterfinal legs against Chelsea.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Lukas Nmecha SCORES for Germany in the U21 Euros Final!🇩🇪⚽️ <a href="https://t.co/EvH8spz46B" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/EvH8spz46B</a>
&mdash; Man City Talent Watch (@CityTalentWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/CityTalentWatch/status/1401633619760779268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 6, 2021</a></blockquote>

<a href="https://twitter.com/NicholasMendola" target="_blank">Follow @NicholasMendola</a>

Man City’s Lukas Nmecha finished off a pass from Wolfsburg’s Ridle Baku to deliver Germany another international honor, a third EURO U-21 crown.

Germany

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Niklas Dorsch

Ridle Baku

Vitinha

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Sancho To Manchester United

Transfer News

Man City’s Nmecha leads Germany wins EURO U21s over Portugal (video)

Flying Eze

FC Barcelona have reached an agreement for Manchester City&#8217;s Sergio Aguero to join the club as from July 1.
The club made the announcement on Monday in a statement on its website.
&#8220;FC Barcelona and Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero have reached an agreement for the player to join the Club from 1 July when his contract with Manchester City expires,&#8221; the statement read.
&#8220;The player will sign a contract until the end of the 2022/23 season and his buy out clause is set at 100 million euros.&#8221;
The statement added that his presentation will take place on Monday.
The 33-year-old played his last game for City, appearance number 390, in the recent Champions League final against Chelsea in Porto.
He spent 10 seasons with City and is the club&#8217;s all-time top scorer. He&#8217;s also the foreign player with the most goals in the Premier League.
								
									
										
										
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Confirming Aguero&#8217;s transfer, City wrote on its wesbite, &#8220;The striker leaves the Etihad with his place in the pantheon of City greats confirmed having won 15 major trophies during his ten-year stay, including five Premier League titles.
&#8220;He has scored 260 goals in 390 games for City – more than any other player in the club’s history.&#8221;
The statement added, &#8220;In March it was confirmed a statue of the City striker has been commissioned to stand alongside those currently in work to honour David Silva and Vincent Kompany. His legend will further be marked by the installation of dedicated and permanent mosaic at the City Football Academy.&#8221;

FC Barcelona have reached an agreement for Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero to join the club as from July 1. The club made the announcement on Monday in a statement on its website. “FC Barcelona and Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero have reached an agreement for the player to join the Club from 1 July when his contract…

Barcelona sign Aguero from Man City

Chelsea fans celebrate in church as their team won the Champions League Final against Manchester City On Saturday.

Chelsea fans celebrate in church as their team won the Champions League Final against Manchester City On Saturday.

VIDEO: Nigerians celebrate Chelsea’s UCL victory

Arsene Wenger has said Manchester City could not find a way through the Chelsea defence because of Thomas Tuchel’s brilliant strategy in Saturday’s Champions League final.
According to Wenger, the positioning of two Chelsea inside forwards; Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, was the key to their success.
“I must say that what Tuchel did well is that played Mount and Havertz more inside defensively,” the former Arsenal boss told beIN SPORTS.
“So Manchester City could never find a way through the middle and had to go wide where Chelsea were quite strong.
“Manchester City had a big tactical problem they could not sort out.
“They’re not balanced, they did not find a way to play incisive football and Chelsea stopped them very well.”
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said he had sensed before the Champions League final that his side would win on Saturday.
								
									
										
										
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Tuchel guided Paris Saint-Germain to last season&#8217;s Champions League final which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
PSG sacked the German in December but he was almost immediately hired by Chelsea and led the Russian-owned club to the second Champions League victory in their history thanks to a single goal from Kai Havertz in Porto.
&#8220;You know I was so grateful to arrive a second time (in the final after doing so with PSG last year) but this felt different. I told people before somehow it was,&#8221; Tuchel told BT Sport.
He paid tribute to his &#8220;unbelievable&#8221; players.
&#8220;It was an incredibly tough fight, what a fight. Today they were determined to win this. We wanted to be the stone in their (City&#8217;s) shoe.
&#8220;I told everyone to step up and to be more brave with the ball. 
&#8220;Kai was strong and delivered again. He has great heart.&#8221;

Arsene Wenger has said Manchester City could not find a way through the Chelsea defence because of Thomas Tuchel’s brilliant strategy in Saturday’s Champions League final. According to Wenger, the positioning of two Chelsea inside forwards; Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, was the key to their success. “I must say that what Tuchel did well…

Champions League: Why Chelsea defeated Man City – Arsene Wenger

Chelsea have defeated Manchester City 1-0 to win the Champions League in Porto on Saturday.
This is Chelsea&#8217;s second Champions League title after their 2012 triumph, while Pep Guardiola&#8217;s Manchester City appeared in the final for the first time.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the Champions League final.
Chelsea shattered Pep Guardiola&#8217;s dream of lifting the trophy for the third time, a decade on from his last triumph.
Havertz rounded Ederson to score three minutes before half-time at the Estadio do Dragao and the Chelsea players ran to the far end of the pitch to celebrate with the German.
Coach Thomas Tuchel, full of energy on the touchline just like his opposite number, punched the air in celebration, and later jumped with joy on the pitch after Chelsea held on for victory in the second half as City lost distraught skipper Kevin De Bruyne to injury.
The London club may have finished fourth in the Premier League, a huge 19 points behind the champions City, but this, remarkably, was their third win over Guardiola&#8217;s side in six weeks.
								
									
										
										
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They shattered City&#8217;s hopes of a domestic treble when they triumphed in the FA Cup semi-finals in April and then delayed their title celebrations with victory in Manchester.
Now, in a final watched by a limited crowd of just over 14,000 fans who created a raucous atmosphere, they have denied City the first Champions League crown they and Guardiola so crave.
City have had to wait 13 years since being taken over by Abu Dhabi&#8217;s Sheikh Mansour just to get to the Champions League final.
They are now the seventh consecutive team to lose in their first appearance at this stage. The same misfortune befell Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain last year as well as Tottenham Hotspur when they were beaten by Liverpool in the last all-English final in 2019.
Chelsea also lost when they first got to the final, succumbing on penalties against Manchester United in Moscow in 2008.
They overcame the final hurdle by beating Bayern Munich, also in a shoot-out, in 2012 and now they have their second European Cup to move level with Juventus, Benfica and Porto as well as another English side, Nottingham Forest.
<img srcset='https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220113/chelsea-ucl-final-255x170.jpeg 255w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220113/chelsea-ucl-final-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220113/chelsea-ucl-final-640x426.jpeg 640w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220113/chelsea-ucl-final-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220113/chelsea-ucl-final-960x639.jpeg 960w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220113/chelsea-ucl-final.jpeg 1024w' sizes='(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px' loading="lazy" class="wp-image-1000715 " src="https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220113/chelsea-ucl-final.jpeg" alt="" width="735" />Chelsea&#8217;s German midfielder Kai Havertz (R) prepares to score after beating Manchester City&#8217;s Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson during the UEFA Champions League final football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Dragao stadium in Porto on May 29, 2021. Photo: AFP)
Their transformation into one of Europe&#8217;s super clubs has been down to the riches of Roman Abramovich, their Russian oligarch owner who was in attendance at the game in Portugal.
						
							
								
								
									
									
								
								
								
							
						
					
Chelsea have been transformed since the appointment as coach in January of Tuchel, but City were still the favourites off the back of their third Premier League title triumph in four seasons.
Feeding off the energy of the crowd in a stadium that Portuguese authorities had allowed to be filled to a third of its capacity &#8212; all fans required negative Covid-19 tests to gain entry &#8212; both teams played with a level of intensity rarely seen in the last year of football in empty grounds.
&#8211; Havertz&#8217;s marquee moment &#8211; 
City pressed high but struggled to trouble Edouard Mendy in the Chelsea goal, while at the other end Timo Werner should have done better than shoot straight at Ederson in the 14th minute.
Chelsea then suffered an injury blow as an emotional Thiago Silva was forced off hurt, Andreas Christensen taking the Brazilian&#8217;s place in central defence.
Yet it was they who opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, Mason Mount&#8217;s ball splitting the City defence with John Stones out of position, allowing Havertz &#8212; their marquee 71 million-pound ($100m) signing last summer &#8212; to go around the lunging Ederson and convert into an empty net.
City now needed to break down a Chelsea defence that has been exceptional since Tuchel came in.
But they lost De Bruyne just before the hour mark, the brilliant Belgian taken out in a collision with Antonio Ruediger that appeared to leave him concussed.
				
					
						
						
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<img srcset='https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220723/ucl-chelsea-wins-255x170.jpeg 255w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220723/ucl-chelsea-wins-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220723/ucl-chelsea-wins-640x427.jpeg 640w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220723/ucl-chelsea-wins-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220723/ucl-chelsea-wins-960x640.jpeg 960w, https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220723/ucl-chelsea-wins.jpeg 1024w' sizes='(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px' loading="lazy" class="wp-image-1000719 " src="https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/29220723/ucl-chelsea-wins.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" />Manchester City&#8217;s Argentine forward Sergio Aguero (R) reacts to the defeat as Chelsea&#8217;s players celebrate winning the UEFA Champions League final football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Dragao stadium in Porto on May 29, 2021. Photo: AFP)
He came off in tears, and Guardiola instead turned to Sergio Aguero for the latter stages, but there was to be no glorious send-off as a City player for the Argentine, even if a Riyad Mahrez shot sailed just over in the sixth minute of injury time.
There was also no third European Cup for Guardiola, who remains one adrift of the record for the coaches with most wins in the competition, held jointly by Bob Paisley, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane.

Chelsea have defeated Manchester City 1-0 to win the Champions League in Porto on Saturday. This is Chelsea’s second Champions League title after their 2012 triumph, while Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City appeared in the final for the first time. Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the Champions League final. Chelsea shattered Pep Guardiola’s dream…

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[UPDATED] UCL final: Chelsea beat Man City to win Champions League

Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League for the second time as Kai Havertz&#8217;s goal was enough for Thomas Tuchel&#8217;s men in a 1-0 upset defeat of Manchester City at Saturday&#8217;s final in Portugal.
[ MORE: <a href="https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2021/05/29/pulisic-chelsea-manchester-city-champions-league-final-usmnt-video/" target="_blank">Pulisic Watch as USMNT wins Champions League</a> ]
Tuchel returned to the final after losing with PSG last season and denied City at the first time of asking for its long-desired European Cup, Chelsea&#8217;s boss essentially depriving Man City of a quadruple after knocking the Premier League and League Cup champions out of the FA Cup and Champions League.
Mason Mount assisted Havertz&#8217;s goal and Chelsea limited Man City to six shots on 60 percent possession.

<h4>Three Four things learned from Man City &#8211; Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League Final</h4>
1. How did Chelsea do it? Thomas Tuchel and N&#8217;Golo Kante: Sure, the <a href="https://www.flyingeze.com/news/watch-mount-havertz-combine-to-give-chelsea-halftime-lead-v-man-city" target="_blank">Mount to Havertz goal</a> is huge and Thomas Tuchel should be lauded for starting the latter, a move doubted by many (tepidly raises hand). But N&#8217;Golo Kante was an absolute monster, already one of the best players of his generation now adding another accolade that will get him consideration as one of the greatest and most-decorated players in the history of our game.
Kante not only was a disruptor of Man City attacks on many occasions despite his status after an injury being questioned until the moment he touched the ball, but the World Cup, Premier League, and now UEFA Champions League winner also led a long dribble that might&#8217;ve led to an opening goal had Oleksandr Zinchenko not picked off Havertz&#8217;s dribble.
And how about Tuchel, who&#8217;s led Chelsea over City thrice in the last two months. One was a PL match that City didn&#8217;t need, but the other two were elimination games on the road to silverware. Tuchel took over Chelsea, plugged in Jorginho and Antonio Rudiger to fix defending and possession, and deprived Man City of a quadruple.
2. Man City still needs a European Cup as Pep again raises questions: Manchester City paid an awful lot of money for Rodri and has paid a lot of money to not find a star left back. So Pep Guardiola leaving Rodri on the bench and seeing Oleksandr Zinchenko &#8212; who did have a shot-saving tackle earlier on Havertz &#8212; exposed on the Chelsea&#8217;s opener will leave people asking a lot of questions. Only Ruben Dias and Ederson played more Premier League minutes than Rodri, a ball progression monster and safety valve.
He&#8217;s the best manager in the world, but he&#8217;s now blown it with his tactics and player selection on multiple occasions, failing to trust the expansive and wonderful style that made him a legend.
3. De Bruyne injured: Man City star and Premier League Player of the Year &#8212; perhaps soon holding the honor two-times running &#8212;  <a href="https://www.flyingeze.com/news/de-bruyne-injury-news-update-latest" target="_blank">Kevin De Bruyne was left in tears</a> when an Antonio Rudiger tactical foul doubled as a KDB ouster, the Belgian star coming off in the 60th minute with an injury. He was not anywhere near his best before the injury, but his removal from the match with 30 minutes left sure cast a pall over Man City&#8217;s comeback chances. And how about Guardiola&#8217;s choice to plug Gabriel Jesus into his place and then Fernandinho instead of Rodri?
4. Pulisic makes history: Jovan Kirovski may have won the Champions League as an unused sub with Borussia Dortmund and Neven Subotic been an American-born finalist with the same German giants, but it&#8217;s BVB academy product Christian Pulisic who is the first USMNT player to hit the pitch in a UEFA Champions League Final, and he played well in the win.
<h4>Man of the Match: N&#8217;Golo Kante</h4>
Two interceptions, three tackles, two clearances, and 11 of 15 duels won. He also drew two fouls, had a key pass, and completed two of two dribbles.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Chelsea supporters, describe your emotions when you saw this moment. (🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/UCLonCBSSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@UCLonCBSSports</a>) <a href="https://t.co/ZDQBOttA8n" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ZDQBOttA8n</a>
&mdash; NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1398746631923769346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">May 29, 2021</a></blockquote>


<h4>Man City &#8211; Chelsea UEFA Champions League Final recap</h4>
Raheem Sterling won a corner in the opening passages of play as City poured forward with good energy.
Chelsea then attacked in the ninth minute and John Stones&#8217; awkward header led to a Kai Havertz pass to Timo Werner in front of goal, but the ensuing shot was blocked.
Mason Mount led a rush and picked out Timo Werner but the pass in the striker&#8217;s feet and the hit went to Ederson. Moments later, Werner cut past John Stones and smashed into the outside of the goal.
Antonio Rudiger slid to deprive Phil Foden of an opener in the 27th minute, nerves and desperation still obvious in Portugal.
[ MORE: <a href="https://www.flyingeze.com/news/brentford-premier-league-promotion-video" target="_blank">Brentford promoted to Premier League</a> ]
N&#8217;Golo Kante showed no rust or limitations in driving the ball 60 yards to set up Kai Havertz on the right of the box, but Oleksandr Zinchenko cut out the chance with a clean tackle.
But Chelsea went ahead just before halftime when Mount swept a perfect pass onto Havertz&#8217;s equally well-timed run, getting the ball through Ederson to cut inside the goal.
Andreas Christensen made a tremendous intervention to stop a cross from reaching its back post target when Phil Foden slid to put City deep into the box.
Pulisic nearly had it 2-0 mere minutes after entering the fray, springing a rush with Havertz than ended with a sliding effort wide of the far post.
Mendy leapt at full-extension to corral super sub Sergio Aguero&#8217;s bid to chip an assist either inside the back post or to a receiver there, the score line remaining 1-0 in the 85th.
<a href="https://twitter.com/NicholasMendola" target="_blank">Follow @NicholasMendola</a>

Mount assisted Havertz’s goal and Chelsea limited Man City to six shots on 60A% possession, and Christian Pulisic subbed on and won the Champions League.

Uefa Champions League

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Christian Pulisic

N'golo Kante

Pep Guardiola

Thomas Tuchel

Antonio Rudiger

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Three things learned from Man City – Chelsea; Champions League Final

Chelsea fans celebrate ahead of the Champions League Final game happening tonight with English team Manchester City.

Chelsea fans celebrate ahead of the Champions League Final game happening tonight with English team Manchester City.

[VIDEO] UCL Final: Social media in frenzy ahead of Chelsea, Man City clash

Discussions over Chelsea and Manchester City clash in the Champions League final tonight have set many streets and motor parks agog in Nigeria.
In some streets and motor parks in Lagos and Ogun states, fans hoisted Chelsea flags and customised their tricycles, popularly referred to as Keke.
Some of them also picked a uniform to show their loyalty to their clubs.
The majority of Chelsea fans were seen wearing blue clothes.
In the Mowe area of Ogun State, some of the supporters were seen playing music at Ariba Owo junction, displaying Chelsea flags.
This is as some of the Chelsea fans also painted cows blue in anticipation of their club&#8217;s victory in today&#8217;s showdown in Porto.
The PUNCH gathered that Chelsea enjoyed large followership in Nigeria, especially in motor parks.
								
									
										
										
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Many football fans had tagged Chelsea an area boys club in Nigeria, probably because of the large support the club enjoyed at motor parks, markets as well as among the area boys in the country.
Area boys are loosely organised gangs of teenagers, composed mostly of youths, who roam the streets of major cities in Nigeria.
According to Nowheremag, area boys began in the 1980s as bands of bullies who roamed the central business district of Lagos and became more popular after unemployment swelled in the country.
By the mid-90s, the boys and girls began to populate bus stops, major highways, and markets.
Today&#8217;s UEFA Champions League final is the third of Europe&#8217;s elite club competition between two Premier League sides, and the second in just three seasons, such is the financial might of the English game.
And these are the two clubs whose own transformations in the last two decades under mega-rich foreign owners have done the most to change the landscape of the Premier League.
Chelsea and City have not met in a final since 1986 in the short-lived Full Members Cup, when the London club won 5-4 at Wembley.
						
							
								
								
									
									
								
								
								
							
						
					
That was before the Premier League and modern Champions League existed, before Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 and before the Abu Dhabi takeover of City in 2008. Between them they have won seven of the last 10 Premier League titles.
Chelsea have experience at this stage in Europe before, having beaten Bayern Munich on penalties in the 2012 final. They have also won the Europa League twice since then.

Discussions over Chelsea and Manchester City clash in the Champions League final tonight have set many streets and motor parks agog in Nigeria. In some streets and motor parks in Lagos and Ogun states, fans hoisted Chelsea flags and customised their tricycles, popularly referred to as Keke. Some of them also picked a uniform to…

UCL final: Nigerian streets, motor parks agog ahead of Chelsea, Man City clash

Pep Guardiola&#8217;s Manchester City and Thomas Tuchel&#8217;s Chelsea are in Porto as tension builds towards Saturday&#8217;s all-English Champions League final showdown in the Portuguese city which was named as a last-minute host for the match.
It is the third final of Europe&#8217;s elite club competition to be played between two Premier League sides, and the second in just three seasons, underlining the strength of the cash-rich English game.
And these are the two clubs whose own transformations in the last two decades under mega-rich foreign owners have done the most to change forever the landscape of the Premier League.
Not so long ago, the idea of Chelsea and City meeting in the biggest club game of all would have been laughable. Their only previous encounter in a final came in 1986 in the short-lived Full Members Cup, when Chelsea won 5-4 at Wembley.
That was before the Premier League and modern Champions League existed, before Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 and before the Abu Dhabi takeover of City in 2008. Between them, they have now won seven of the last 10 Premier League titles.
The west London club had a head-start in terms of becoming big-spenders and as a club they have the experience of this stage in Europe before, having beaten Bayern Munich on penalties on their own turf in the 2012 final.
They have also won the Europa League twice since then.
								
									
										
										
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&#8211; &#8216;If you win you&#8217;re a hero&#8217; &#8211; 
City, though, have never made it this far but are finally here, after 13 years of enormous investment from the Gulf and four previous years of disappointment under Guardiola, the man who was hired principally to win them the European Cup.
After romping to the Premier League title, their third in four years, and having also won the League Cup this season, a City side starring the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Ruben Dias are the clear favourites at the Estadio do Dragao as they target a treble.
&#8220;We as players understand the magnitude of the game tomorrow,&#8221; influential midfielder De Bruyne said in a press conference on Friday. &#8220;If you win you&#8217;re a hero, if you lose you&#8217;re almost a failure.
&#8220;Everyone understands the pressure but we should be enjoying this game. Take it as something where you want to perform and show your best.&#8221;
City know all about Chelsea&#8217;s threat. Chelsea have beaten City twice in the last six weeks, first in the FA Cup semi-finals and then at the Etihad Stadium in the league.
They have been transformed since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as coach in January, even if they did finish the domestic season with three defeats in four games including the Cup final against Leicester City.
&#8220;They are maybe in the moment the strongest team in Europe and maybe in the world. They have built a huge gap between them and us in the league but we closed the gap for 90 minutes at Wembley and away at City and this is what we want to do tomorrow,&#8221; Tuchel said on Friday.
						
							
								
								
									
									
								
								
								
							
						
					
The German has declared midfielder N&#8217;Golo Kante and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy fit to play after knocks, while there was a scare for City on Friday as top scorer Ilkay Gundogan limped out of their last training session.
&#8211; Shadow of Covid &#8211; 
Covid-19 again casts a shadow over the final, which is only being played in Porto after the last-minute decision to move the game from Istanbul.
The Turkish metropolis was denied the chance to host the occasion for the second year running after the UK government put the country on its travel red list, making it impossible for fans of either finalist to attend the game from England.
Just like last year when Lisbon was the last-minute solution, Portugal rode to the rescue again, and fans will be there with the country one of the few on the UK&#8217;s green travel list.
There can be few more charming final host cities than Porto, with its cobbled streets tumbling down towards the waterfront which looks across to the Port wine warehouses on the other side of the Douro River.
English fans were starting to gather on Friday on cafe terraces under blazing blue skies. With Portuguese authorities allowing the Estadio do Dragao to be filled to 33 per cent capacity, there will be 16,500 spectators in total on the ground, including 6,000 fans of each club.
Many more are expected to gather in the city without tickets.
				
					
						
						
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Portuguese police have said dealing with such an influx of English fans is &#8220;an operation of great complexity&#8221;.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are in Porto as tension builds towards Saturday’s all-English Champions League final showdown in the Portuguese city which was named as a last-minute host for the match. It is the third final of Europe’s elite club competition to be played between two Premier League sides, and the…

Man City, Chelsea set for Champions League final clash in Porto

When Gregg Berhalter&#8217;s United States men&#8217;s national team plays a strong Switzerland on Sunday, it will be doing it from a position of depth that other iterations of the USMNT could only create via brainstorm.
[ MORE: <a href="https://www.flyingeze.com/news/three-key-battles-for-chelsea-man-city-in-champions-league-final" target="_blank">Three key battles in Chelsea – Man City</a> ]
The side will be without two Champions League finalists, one who will be hours removed from winning the European Cup and another from losing it as Berhalter&#8217;s starting goalkeeper Zack Steffen (Man City) and talismanic winger Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) fight for club soccer&#8217;s most-heralded item.
And yet it will, should Berhalter choose, be able to call upon the top center back on a Bundesliga UCL qualifier (Wolfsburg), an influential midfielder from a Serie A UCL qualifier (Juventus), a versatile mid from another Bundesliga UCL qualifier (Tyler Adams), a depth winger from the Ligue 1 champions (Lille), and&#8230;
Well, let&#8217;s just say they could &#8212; without Pulisic and Steffen &#8212; put 11 starters out from teams in the 2020-21 Champions League or Europa League.
And all of these players are returning to Berhalter with more experience and sharpening of their skill sets
An exercise for you, if you think we&#8217;re overstating the depth. Prepare your best XI. Now do a second XI. Then brainstorm the worst non-career-ending-injury outcomes for a lot of these players. Brooks never gets any better. Adams is always a versatile club role player but bounces around Europe. Dest becomes a toy, not a Barca thinkpiece. Steffen and Horvath remain mired behind star goalkeepers but too valuable to sell. Miazga takes nine more loans but never leaves Chelsea. Musah&#8217;s ceiling is Etienne Capoue, not Joshua Kimmich.
All that said, do you expect that group of players or their alternatives to fail to qualify for a World Cup out of CONCACAF?
It&#8217;s going to be a fun one, kickstarting a busy summer.
<h4>Know the opponent: Switzerland</h4>
The Rossocrociati have been led by Bosnian-Swiss boss Vladimir Petkovic since 2014 and there&#8217;s real identity to FIFA&#8217;s 13th-ranked side.
This is a full-fledged Swiss team who is preparing for EURO with players still trying to cement their place on the roster.
Several don&#8217;t have to worry about it. Gladback goalkeeper Yann Sommer has 60 caps and is very good, while options along the back line include Newcastle&#8217;s Fabian Schar, Dortmund&#8217;s Manuel Akanji, and Wolfsburg&#8217;s Kevin Mbabu to name a few.
Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, and Denis Zakaria are part of a hard-hitting midfield that gives Xherdan Shaqiri freedom he rarely sees at Liverpool, and they all cue up Breel Embolo, Haris Seferovic, and Admir Mehmedi.
In other words, a USMNT getting ready for its first meaningful games in a while is getting a quick lesson.
<h4>How will the USMNT line up?</h4>
This is one friendly where it will tip Gregg Berhalter&#8217;s hand in some areas, even If the boss only has four days until the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal with Honduras and may rest players in positions of shallow depth (cough, John Brooks).
Given an average performance against a down Catrachos, the semifinal should be a dress rehearsal for the manager&#8217;s first scrap for silverware versus Tata Martino and Mexico.
Here are some top questions:
<ul>
<li>With Steffen out, does Ethan Horvath start in goal despite backing up Simon Mignolet at Brugge and only playing four times this season, or does Berhalter go for Real Salt Lake and Olympic qualifying No. 1 David Ochoa?</li>
<li>Who pairs with John Brooks?</li>
<li>Sergino Dest on the right or left?</li>
<li>What&#8217;s the midfield and forward pecking order behind Weston McKennie and the absent Pulisic?</li>
</ul>
USMNT projected XI 
versus Switzerland
Horvath
Yedlin &#8212; McKenzie &#8212; Miazga &#8212; Robinson
Green &#8212; Yueill &#8212; Musah
Reyna
Sargent &#8212; Weah
Best XI possible (pre-Pulisic + Steffen arrivals)
Horvath
Dest &#8212; Miazga &#8212; Brooks &#8212; Robinson
McKennie &#8212; Adams
Musah &#8212; Reyna &#8212; Weah
Sargent
<a href="https://twitter.com/NicholasMendola" target="_blank">Follow @NicholasMendola</a>

When Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT plays in Switzerland on Sunday, it will be doing it from a position of depth other iterations could only brainstorm.

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