NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
On Thursday 29 April 1970, Neil Young and Francis Lee fired City to glory in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final; a moment which was instantly cemented in our illustrious history.
City’s current crop have broken a 51-year hiatus by reaching this stage of the competition, breaking the record for the longest gap between two European finals which was previously held by Sporting CP between 1964 and 2005.
While it might be an unknown entity for Pep Guardiola’s men, our appearance in Saturday’s showpiece means a side has made their European Cup/Champions League final debut in three successive years (Tottenham 2019, PSG 2020).
The last time this phenomenon occurred was in the twilight of the 1980s, with Steaua Bucharest, FC Porto and PSV all reaching the final stage of the tournament between 1986 and 1988.
The only members of the squad alive at the time were Fernandinho and Scott Carson, while a teenage Pep Guardiola was still two years from making a senior professional appearance.
Defensive Solidity
The importance of a cohesive defensive unit cannot be overstated, especially on Europe’s biggest stage.
It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that both City and Chelsea’s rearguards boast an impressive record in this season’s Champions League.
Both sides have conceded just four goals en route to Portugal; the first time both teams competing in the final have conceded four or fewer goals since 2005-06.
The runners up on that occasion were Arsenal, and City will finish just one clean sheet shy of their tournament record (10) in that campaign should they keep Chelsea at bay this Saturday.
Furthermore, until Marco Reus’ 84th minute equaliser for Dortmund in our quarter-final first leg, City had gone 790 minutes without conceding in the Champions League since Luis Díaz had scored for Porto on Matchday 1.
Again, only the Gunners’ 2005-2006 vintage have bettered that feat in the competition’s history, with Pep Guardiola’s men surpassing the next best run, set by Juventus, by 100 minutes.
Squad Goals
We’ve been equally impressive going forward this campaign, with only Bayern Munich (27) having scored more goals than City’s 25.
Only in our fourmidables campaign of 2018-2019 have we netted more goals in a single season, when we bowed out at the quarter-final stage having scored 30 times.
Indeed, over the last three seasons, our goal record stands at 76 in 31 matches.
In short, despite locking horns with the best defences that Europe has to offer, City have found the back of the net at least twice on average in every single Champions League game.
WILL TO WIN
Zinedine Zidane’s remarkable volley under the Hampden Park lights in 2002 remains one of the more spectacular and certainly one of the most memorable goals in Champions League history.
Real Madrid secured a record 12 wins in that season’s competition as they edged past Bayer Leverkusen in the final, but City could equal that feat with victory over Chelsea.
A 12th win in 13 matches, which equates to roughly a 92% win rate for Pep Guardiola’s men, is even more impressive when considering that Los Blancos needed 17 games to reach that milestone.
City have already made history as the first English side to achieve seven successive victories since the competition’s inception, but a further triumph would also see us take our overall total to 50.
Golden Silva
Bernardo Silva’s blend of hard work, tenacity and creative flair has made him an essential cog in Pep Guardiola’s well-oiled machine.
But if any further evidence were needed of his importance to the side, then the unprecedented record he can boast in Europe’s elite competition provides ample proof.
The Portuguese midfielder’s last Champions League defeat came in our 2-1 loss to Lyon in September 2018.
His unbeaten run, which stretches over 26 matches, is a tournament record.
Incredibly, Phil Foden is on the second-longest current run, which spans 21 matches since defeat to Basel in our last-16 clash back in March 2018.
Double trouble
Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás… Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez?
Having both found the back of the net in last eight and last four triumphs over Borussia Dortmund and PSG respectively, the City duo could become the first two players since Di Stéfano and Puskás to score for a team in the final three stages of a Champions League season.
The Blond Arrow and the Galloping Major achieved the feat as part of Real Madrid’s fifth successive European Cup title in 1959-1960.
Should either De Bruyne or Mahrez score against Chelsea, they will have written their names alongside two of the competition’s earliest trailblazers and most famous figures.
