Excitement is building ahead of the 2025 Champions League final, which will see Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan lock horns at the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening.
Neapolitans claimed a second Scudetto. It may not be the final many predicted, but both participants deserve a shot at glory given the quality of their performances in Europe this term.
Despite only just edging through to the knockout stages following a vital triumph over Stuttgart on the final league phase matchday, Paris Saint-Germain have carried a quiet confidence throughout the competition. Luis Enrique has moulded the Parisians into a disciplined, industrious, and cohesive unit since his arrival in the summer of 2023, having eliminated the casual work ethic and mental fragility that previously undermined their hopes of Champions League success. The staggered departure of Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé has ironically helped their cause, as the success of the team is prioritised over the requirements of any individual.
After hammering fellow Frenchmen Stade Brest, Paris Saint-Germain faced three Premier League outfits en route to the final. Having dispatched Liverpool following a nerve-shredding penalty shootout at Anfield and survived a brief scare against Aston Villa, Luis Enrique’s men met Arsenal in the last four. Ousmane Dembélé grabbed the only goal in an absorbing first leg in the English capital, before tidy finishes from Fabián Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi put PSG into an unassailable aggregate lead.
Inter Milan’s pathway to the semi-final was a little more straightforward, partially thanks to clinching fourth place in the preliminary phase after incurring just one defeat in their opening eight fixtures. The Nerazzurri then successfully navigated past Dutch giants Feyenoord and six-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich ahead of a blockbuster meeting with Barcelona.
After a highly entertaining tie at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys eventually ended in a 3-3 draw, the two teams produced another thriller at the San Siro six days later. Raphinha’s late finish looked to have handed Barça a famous victory on Italian soil, but a dramatic equaliser from veteran defender Francesco Acerbi ensured a repeat of the first-leg scoreline. The decisive goal came midway through the first period of extra-time, as Davide Frattesi curled an elegant effort beyond Wojciech Szczęsny to send the home support into raptures.
2025 Champions League final – Paris Saint-Germain v Inter Milan key information
Date: Saturday, May 31st
Kick-off time: 8.00pm (BST)
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
Referee: István Kovács (Assistant Referees: Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi, Fourth Official: Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro)
VAR: Dennis Johan Higler (Assistant VAR: Catalin Sorin Popa)
TV channels: TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+
Odds: Paris Saint-Germain: 5/4, Draw: 23/10, Inter Milan: 23/10
To Lift Trophy: Paris Saint-Germain: 8/13, Inter Milan: 13/10
Paris Saint-Germain v Inter Milan team news
Both Simone Inzaghi and Luis Enrique have escaped any major injury headaches, leaving the two managers free to select their strongest XI’s. As PSG and Inter Milan have fought intensely on both domestic and continental fronts throughout their respective campaigns, players will undoubtedly be fatigued ahead of the final. With this in mind and participation in the keenly anticipated Club World Cup on the horizon, Inzaghi and Enrique are likely to fully utilise their benches during Saturday’s crunch tie.
Paris Saint-Germain team news
Having won the Ligue 1 title with six fixtures to spare, Luis Enrique has been afforded the luxury of resting several of his key players in recent weeks. The likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Willian Pacho, and João Neves have all enjoyed short breaks of late, while Gianluigi Donnarumma watched from the sidelines as French Cup regular Matvei Safonov kept a clean sheet in Saturday’s showpiece against Stade Reims.
Ousmane Dembélé seems to have now completely recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained during the semi-final clash with Arsenal in North London, after starting both of Paris Saint-Germain’s last two fixtures. It looks as if Presnel Kimpembe will miss out, having struggled with a foot problem since the beginning of the month. The French defender only returned to action in February following a difficult two-year absence, sparked by a brutal Achilles tendon rupture in early 2023.
Paris Saint-Germain predicted lineup v Inter Milan (4-3-3)
Coach: Luis Enrique
Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola
Inter Milan team news
Simone Inzaghi has received positive reports regarding the fitness of Benjamin Pavard and Piotr Zieliński, who are both back in training after recently being plagued with ankle injuries. French full-back Pavard hasn’t featured since the Nerazzurri’s 1-0 league defeat to Roma at the end of last month, missing both legs of the semi-final clash with Barcelona. Despite not making the short trip across Lombardy for the visit to Como, Piotr Zieliński is once again available for selection.
There’s also good news following Yann Bisseck’s early withdrawal at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, as the German international requires no further treatment despite appearing in some discomfort on Friday evening. A key figure at the heart of Inter’s steely defence, Bisseck will be expected to make his eighth Champions League start of the campaign at the Allianz Arena.
Although he’s flitted between different tactical systems this term, Inzaghi will most likely deploy his preferred 3-5-2 formation. Whilst most positions are occupied by a consistent set of first-team regulars, there is a genuine question mark over who will lead the line on Saturday evening. Any two of four players could potentially fulfil this role, but club captain Lautaro Martínez and Frenchman Marcus Thuram should get the nod. That leaves Iranian marksman Mehdi Taremi and former Sevilla forward Joaquin Correa amongst the substitutes, with both players capable of making an impact from the bench.
Inter Milan predicted lineup v Paris Saint-Germain (3-5-2)
Coach: Simone Inzaghi
Yann Sommer (GK), Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Denzel Dumfries, Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco, Lautaro Martínez, Marcus Thuram
Where can I watch the 2025 Champions League final in the UK?
Live coverage of the Champions League final will be provided by TNT Sports, who have exclusive broadcasting rights for all major European club competitions in the United Kingdom. The match will be shown on TNT Sports 1, while TNT Sports Ultimate subscribers can watch events at the Allianz Arena unfold in 4K resolution. Viewers can also catch the action by tuning into Discovery+, a partner channel of the TNT Sports network.
Head-to-head record
The two teams head into Saturday’s meeting in contrasting moods, having experienced polar opposite endings to their respective domestic campaigns. Less than 24 hours after Inter cruelly missed out on a 21st Serie A title despite overcoming local rivals Como, Paris Saint-Germain clinched their third piece of silverware of the season by sweeping aside Stade Reims in last weekend’s Coupe de France final.
The Parisians have understandably taken their foot off the gas in recent weeks, having been crowned French champions for the fourth year running way back in early April. Since then, PSG have recorded three wins, two losses, and one draw in their remaining six league outings, a somewhat underwhelming record for a side that hadn’t incurred a league defeat all season.
Following a six-goal thriller in Catalonia at the end of April, Inter racked up ten points in their last four Serie A fixtures as they attempted to chase down league leaders Napoli. A heartbreaking 2-2 draw with Lazio ultimately derailed the Nerazzurri’s title ambitions, as Pedro’s last-minute penalty left the San Siro shellshocked. Cagliari were then unable to do Inter a favour at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on the final day, as the Neapolitans claimed a second Scudetto in three seasons.
Although both teams have progressed to the latter stages of the Champions League on numerous occasions in recent years, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan have remarkably never faced each other in a competitive fixture.
Saturday’s opponents have however contested five friendly matches over the last decade or so, with Paris Saint-Germain emerging triumphant in three of these meetings. All of these victories came in the opening three clashes between the two clubs, while Inter registered a narrow win in Tokyo when the European heavyweights last met in August 2023.
Selected odds
Only Barcelona have scored more goals in this season’s Champions League than Paris Saint-Germain, who have found the net on 33 occasions so far. Simone Inzaghi’s men are just six goals behind their French adversaries, but have played two games fewer having skipped the first knockout round thanks to their league phase performance.
Having already registered nine goals en route to Munich, Lautaro Martínez will be hoping to hit double figures in the Champions League for the first time in his career. The Argentinian netted in five consecutive European outings earlier this season, in a goalscoring sequence that included a hat-trick against Monaco on matchday eight.
Ousmane Dembélé has been in scintillating form throughout the 2024/25 campaign, scoring and creating goals with unnerving regularity. No player has had more shots in this season’s Champions League than the fleet-footed Frenchman, who has executed 60 attempts at goal to press. Achraf Hakimi has also been a constant threat in attacking areas, delivering eight direct goal involvements to help propel Luis Enrique's men to the final. The Moroccan full-back has netted at key junctures throughout the competition, including the opener at Villa Park and a timely strike against Arsenal in Paris.
Nevertheless, both teams also boast strong defensive records. Swiss stopper Yann Sommer has recorded a staggering eight clean sheets in his 13 continental appearances this term, while Inter have only conceded eleven goals overall. PSG have been similarly watertight at the back, having registered six shutouts in Champions League action.
For those hoping to exploit the cards markets, it’s worth noting that the Nerazzurri have picked up a colossal 32 bookings on Champions League duty this term, almost double PSG’s equivalent tally. However, the Parisians have surprisingly committed five more fouls than Inter, with combative midfielder João Neves accountable for 23 of his team’s 142 offences. Neves’ Portuguese compatriot Nuno Mendes served a suspension after receiving three cautions during the league phase, and was then booked again during the opening exchanges of the semi-final second leg against Arsenal.
However, the only red card awarded to either of these teams was distributed to Ousmane Dembélé, who received his marching orders during Paris Saint-Germain’s last visit to the Allianz Arena in November last year.
With two closely matched competitors going toe-to-toe, Saturday’s final could go the distance. PSG have safely handled two penalty shootouts this season, ousting Lens from the Coupe de France before silencing Anfield in the Round of 16 stage of the Champions League. Conversely, Inter Milan are yet to experience a spot-kick showdown this term, but did have to endure 30 minutes of extra-time against a rampant Barcelona outfit at the start of the month.
Tips – Team
Inter Milan to receive over 2.5 cards: 11/10
Game decided in extra-time: 11/2
Tips – Player
Lautaro Martínez to score first: 6/1
Ousmane Dembélé to have over 3.5 shots: 8/11
Achraf Hakimi to score or assist: 7/4
João Neves to commit 2 or more fouls: 13/8
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.