Manchester City are considered the favorites going into Saturday's UEFA Champions League final against Inter (3 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+) with this their second appearance in the past three showpiece events. This year's edition will be at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul where Pep Guardiola will hope that his team can go one better than they did in the 2021 final where Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea edged them out 1-0 in Porto. Should the Spanish tactician succeed in leading City over the line here, it would be a triumph not only years in the making for the Premier League champions but also Guardiola himself who is yet to add to his two UCL titles from his time in charge of Barcelona. With the FA Cup now secured after the Premier League title, City could equal bitter rivals Manchester United and their 1999 treble feat.
But how did City get here? We recap their route to this year's showpiece event in Turkey.
Qualification
City finished top of the 2021-22 Premier League table ahead of Liverpool by a single point to automatically qualify for the group stage of the 2022-23 Champions League.
Draw
City landed in Group G along with Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Copenhagen. Although they did not register six wins from a possible six, Guardiola's side did go unbeaten to finish ahead of Dortmund in second by five points -- BVB was the first of three Bundesliga UCL opponents overall.
Group stage results
- Matchday 1 - Sevilla 0, Manchester City 4
- Matchday 2 - Manchester City 2, Dortmund 1
- Matchday 3 - Manchester City 5, Copenhagen 0
- Matchday 4 - Copenhagen 0, Manchester City 0
- Matchday 5 - Dortmund 0, Manchester City 0
- Matchday 6 - Manchester City 3, Sevilla 1
Round of 16 results
First leg: RB Leipzig 1, Manchester City 1
This one finished level in Germany with few predicting that the second leg would turn out the way that it did after Riyad Mahrez's first-half opener was canceled out by Josko Gvardiol's second-half leveler.
Second leg: Manchester City 7, RB Leipzig 0
Erling Haaland produced one of the most brutal attacking displays in UEFA history in the return leg with the Norway international getting a first-half hat trick and a second-half brace for a total of five goals. Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne also got in on the act to complete a breathtaking 8-1 aggregate success.
Quarterfinal results
First leg: Manchester City 3, Bayern Munich 0
Guardiola's men picked up where they left off with a clinical display to down 2021 conqueror Tuchel just days into his new job as Bayern head coach. Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Haaland were all on target at Etihad Stadium as City put one foot in the semifinals by the end of the opening 90 minutes.
Second leg: Bayern Munich 1, Manchester City 1
Haaland got himself another goal at Allianz Arena but also missed a first-half penalty in a game which saw Joshua Kimmich equalize from the spot on the night. However, it was not enough to avoid a 4-1 aggregate defeat with a furious Tuchel dismissed late on as Guardiola got the better of him tactically.
Semifinal results
First leg: Real Madrid 1, Manchester City 1
Vinicius Junior and De Bruyne traded superb goals in this one as City's defense impressed while Thibaut Courtois kept Real in it at times to set up the second leg for a place in the final.
Second leg: Manchester City 4, Real 0
An unexpectedly one-sided second leg which saw Haaland thwarted by an inspired Courtois yet Silva scored twice and Manuel Akanji as well as Julian Alvarez completed the scoring to book a Turkish date with Inter.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, June 10 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Ataturk Olympic Stadium -- Istanbul, Turkey
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Man City -225; Draw +350; Inter +575 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
TV Schedule
12 p.m.: Morning Footy - UCL Edition (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
1:30 p.m.: UEFA Champions League Today Pre-Match Show (CBS/Paramount+)
3 p.m.: Manchester City vs. Inter Milan (CBS/Paramount+)
5:30 p.m.: UEFA Champions League Today Post-Match Show (CBS/Paramount+)
6:30 p.m.: The Champions Club (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
