Owen Hargreaves predicts result for Manchester City vs Chelsea UEFA Champions League final
Former Manchester United player Owen Hargreaves has predicted Manchester City to win their first UEFA Champions League title against Chelsea on Saturday. Hargreaves believes Manchester City will win a close game by 2-1 in Porto.
The Englishman is convinced that destiny wants Manchester City to finally win their first Champions League title at Chelsea's expense. Speaking in an interview with JOE, Hargreaves said:
"I think it feels like fate for City. It feels like their destiny. As good as Pep is and he hasn’t won one of these for a long time, he will want to mark this occasion."
Manchester City are in their first-ever Champions League final, while Chelsea are competing in the final for the third time in their history. Manchester City will be hoping to become the 23rd different winners of the European Cup and the newest since Chelsea in 2012.
Manchester City won't tinker against Chelsea: Owen Hargreaves
Manchester City have a strong starting XI and a squad that can rival the starting XIs of many sides. However, Owen Hargreaves believes Pep Guardiola will not make any changes to his tried and tested lineup. Speaking about Manchester City's lineup, Hargreaves said:
“I don’t think he’ll tinker with it this time around. With the defence he has and the goalkeeper I think you can pretty much guarantee who is going to play.”
Hargreaves believes Manchester City's quality will be too much for Chelsea to handle. The Cityzens are expected to play on the front foot from the first minute while Chelsea will be forced into a counter-attacking style of play.
Hargreaves also gave his exact predictions for the game, the score and the goal scorers. When asked about these predictions, Hargreaves said:
“I think City win 2-1. Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez score and I think Kai Havertz (for Chelsea) pops up with a beauty.”
Going into the final, Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea do hold a psychological edge over Manchester City. The German has won both of his encounters against Pep Guardiola since becoming Chelsea manager.
Despite possessing a negative record against Chelsea, Manchester City will still be favorites to lift the Champions League trophy come Saturday evening. Manchester City are eyeing their third major piece of silverware this season, having already lifted the Premier League and Carabao Cup trophies this season.
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