Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel face off in an all English Champions League final this Saturday
After a season like no other, 16,500 fans will descend upon the Estadio de Dragao in Porto this weekend as Manchester City face Chelsea for the richest prize in world football. Pep Guardiola's side beat Paris Saint Germain in the semi final stage to make it to their first ever final, while Thomas Tuchel led Chelsea to victory over European royalty Real Madrid in their semi final. It's been a fantastic continental campaign from both sides which will culminate in a third all-English final since 2008. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Let that Champions League anthem ring out. We're here.
🏆 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦! 🏆
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 27, 2021
Who's filling the 2021 slot?#UCL #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/UPvEWIbPiN
How to watch Man City vs Chelsea free live online with VPN
With one simple trick, you will be able to watch Man City and Chelsea compete for the UEFA Champions League trophy completely free via live stream. You don't need to be a BT Sport subscriber, you can follow these easy steps and enjoy tonight's match online completely free of charge. Here's what you have to do to watch the match:
- Join Express VPN. With a VPN you can access content from around the world, content which is usually restricted to only the people in a particular country. For instance, Saturday's Champions League clash is available online for free via live streaming in Poland. You can live stream it for free from a Polish public broadcaster's website, but you need to be there. With Express VPN, you can be.
- Once you have created an account, selected a plan and signed in, you need to set a location. Choose "Poland" from the drop down menu. Hit the power button to connect. You can do this on your desktop computer or laptop on their website, or you can download their app for your tablet or phone.
- Click on this link to be directed to the Polish broadcaster's website. As long as your device is now running Express VPN in Poland, you will appear to be there and the video will be available to you.
- Click on the video and start the live stream.
- You may have to watch some ads. These can last around 4-5 minutes. After that the live coverage will resume.
- Watch the UEFA Champions League Final completely free.
Did you know that ExpressVPN works on #AndroidTV, Amazon Fire TV and #NvidiaShield? 📺
— ExpressVPN (@expressvpn) May 26, 2021
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Champions League Final: Preview
City's inevitable third Premier League title in four years was made official on 11 May when rivals Manchester United lost to Leicester City. Since then, they've been going through the motions and resting key players, still racking up 11 goals in three games. While perfunctory in nature, the run in has been rather exciting with a 4-3 win over Newcastle, a 3-2 loss to Brighton and a 5-0 hammering of Everton on final day. Guardiola will be thrilled to have navigated the end of the Premier League season without losing anyone to injury and the team still seems to have its mojo.
Chelsea had an entirely different end to their campaign as they needed to fight tooth and nail for a top four slot. They just about crept into fourth in the end thanks to Leicester's defeat against Spurs. Thomas Tuchel's side didn't exactly do it all themselves, suffering a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on the final day but they got over the line and that's all that counts. If there's one thing you don't need in a Champions League final it's the pressure of knowing that you need to win in order to qualify for next year's edition.
There's no denying the impact the German coach has had on Chelsea but there are some cracks starting to appear. Tuchel will be able to tell his men that they beat Guardiola's side twice this term - including in an FA Cup semi final - but when the pressure has been on they've faltered - losing the FA Cup final to Leicester, and losing two of their crucial final three Premier League games against Arsenal and Aston Villa. They got away with it in the end but the results in high pressure situations don't inspire much confidence. For City the domestic season has long been over, with the League Cup and Premier League in the bag for a while now. Which team has prepared better for the challenge facing them on Saturday? Only time will tell.
OFFICIAL: The #UCL top four places have been confirmed:
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) May 23, 2021
𝟯𝗿𝗱: Liverpool
𝟰𝘁𝗵: Chelsea
𝟱𝘁𝗵: Leicester
Leicester miss out on qualification following their defeat against Spurs. pic.twitter.com/oDK91MauOY
Team News: Chelsea vs Man City
In Manchester City team news, Pep Guardiola has the blessing of a fully fit squad to choose from. Ilkay Gundogan had looked doubtful but has since declared himself ready to go. He could be partnered in midfield by the likes of Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho or Rodri. It's an embarrassment of riches. Kyle Walker will surely start at right back while Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko fight it out for the left back berth. Looking back over previous rounds, the Ukrainian has looked more effective and therefore could get the nod. Pep is likely to start with Kevin De Bruyne as a false nine with any of Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres or Riyad Mahrez operating either side of him. Sergio Aguero will probably make an appearance off the bench in his final game for the club, especially if they are behind and need inspiration late on.
Team news for Chelsea is slightly more worrying. Thomas Tuchel does have a couple of injury concerns to contend with. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has been outstanding but is doubtful after coming off at half time against Villa. N'Golo Kante missed that game entirely with a thigh issue. The Frenchman is likely to return but that's not 100%. He's likely to go with an experienced back three of Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger. Fit again Mateo Kovacic will likely replace Jorginho in the midfield. Mason Mount will surely be part of the front three but who plays with him isn't so sure.
Likely Lineups:
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Silva, Gundogan, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Foden
Chelsea: Mendy, James, Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger, Chilwell, Kovacic, Kante, Mount, Werner, Havertz
Prediction: Man City vs Chelsea
It's never easy to predict the outcome of such a huge game but taking into account the performances of both sides during the final few games of the season, the track records of the coaches and the quality of the players on display, I expect a cagey, tactical battle in the first half opening up slightly after the first goal is scored. Ultimately I think Manchester City are slightly ahead of Chelsea and will have a little too much for them.
Prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea
#ManCity are set to host a trophy parade this Sunday - if they win the #UCLfinal. pic.twitter.com/Jv3Cb2L5YU
— Man City Report (@cityreport_) May 26, 2021
How to watch the Champions League Final live on BT Sport
The 2020/21 UEFA Champions League Final will be shown live on BT Sport and here's where you can watch the game:
Man City vs Chelsea
Saturday 29 May 2021
Kick Off Time: 20.00
Venue: Estadio de Dragao, Porto
TV Channel: BT Sport 1 / BT Sport Ultimate
BT Sport has exclusive rights to coverage of all top European competitions until 2024 including all UEFA Europa League matches, UEFA Champions League and even the upcoming UEFA Conference League.
You can watch Saturday's game on BT Sport 1, with kick off time at 20.00
Click here to see the various options they have for new and existing customers including the monthly pass and other packages.
You can also watch coverage via live stream with the BT Sport app, which can be downloaded to all mobile devices. You must have a BT Sport subscription to watch a live stream.
Click here to check out the BT Sport app.
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