Two of the biggest-spending soccer clubs in the world will face off for the most prestigious title in Europe when Manchester City and Chelsea go head-to-head in an all-English UEFA Champions League final.
Manchester City aims to win their first Champions League final in their first final after more than a decade of effort. As a London-based team with deep pockets, Chelsea is looking forward to capturing its second title (2012) – their third final appearance.
What’s guaranteed is that an American player will hoist the trophy. In this match, U.S. men’s national team stars Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) and Zack Steffen (Manchester City) will be on opposing sides.
During the Champions League final, Pulisic is set to make history by becoming the first American to compete in the final, with Steffen sitting on the bench as the backup goalkeeper.
WHEN IS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL IN 2021?
- Date: Saturday, May 29
- Time: 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT
The UEFA Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 29.
HOW TO WATCH THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL IN USA
- TV channel: CBS
- Live stream: Paramount+, fubo TV (7-day free trial)
- Spanish TV & streaming: TUDN Deportes
CBS and TUDN will carry the 2021 UEFA Champions League final and both networks are available via fubo TV 7-day free trial.
CHELSEA VS. MANCHESTER CITY ODDS
- Manchester City moneyline: -120
- Draw moneyline: +255
- Chelsea moneyline: +350
- Chelsea win to nil: +550
- Chelsea to score first and win: +390
- Manchester City to score first and win: +100
This is the 90-minute regulation result calculated by DraftKings
Chelsea will try to turn them over for quick transition opportunities by letting Manchester City dictate play. Chelsea’s speedy attackers, Pulisic and Timo Werner are at their best when they have space to run into and wreak havoc.
However, if Manchester City’s star-studded attacking front scores the opening goal, Chelsea, who struggles to break down defensive opponents, could be in big trouble. In the six matches in which Chelsea have conceded the first goal under Tuchel, they have only won one (it was against Manchester City). Those 19 games in which Chelsea scored first under Tuchel have resulted in 17 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.
Given those trends — Manchester City have won 41 of 45 matches when they have scored first — and the uncompromising defensive talent on both sides, “score-first-and-win” lines at plus money for both teams might be the best option.
Chelsea’s two wins over Manchester City will ultimately lead many to consider them live underdogs in the Champions League final despite two key players being injured. Tuchel said he expects Edouard Mendy (bruised ribs) and Ngolo Kante (hamstring) to fully recover for the final. In the six matches Kante has missed this season, they have lost four of them.
Manchester City team will be at full strength.
WHERE IS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL PLAYED?
The final had been scheduled to be played in Istanbul, but organizers moved the match to Portugal with just two weeks remaining. That decision was prompted by the UK government placing Turkey on its COVID-19 “red list,” meaning Chelsea and Manchester City supporters would have faced travel restrictions.
For obvious reasons, UEFA tried to move it to England, but quarantine laws proved to be a stumbling block. This will be the second consecutive year that Porto will host the Champions League final at the 50,000-seat Estadio Dragao. Both clubs were allotted 6,000 tickets each for their traveling fans, but the final capacity has not yet been determined.
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