WHAT has become of Champions League finals?

Time was when the continent’s most prestigious club competition featured teams willing to show a little adventure. At the very least sides aimed to play on the front foot, to give some of Europe’s most lethal strikers the best possible chance of shooting down the opposition.

Subsequently, 14 of the first 18 finals of this century had both teams scoring.

Since then though, caution has set in and pragmatism has held sway. Each of the last six Champions League finals have been won to nil, all of them producing two or fewer goals.

Across those games – supposedly a celebration of greatness – the winning teams have undertaken a shot every ten minutes. For context, Crystal Palace – a Premier League team picked entirely at random – have taken on a shot every six minutes in their last six outings.

If we’re being brutally honest about it, at least three, maybe four, of the most recent six showpiece events have been a hard watch.

Thankfully, if any team can buck this unwelcome trend for being risk averse it’s Paris SG, or more accurately their devastating front three, or more accurately still, a front four but with one of Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia missing out.

With an average age of 23.2 years and a collective skill-set that is off the charts, this magnificent quartet have terrorized Ligue 1 and the continent alike this term, scoring 78 goals between them and 54 assists.

Over 1.5 goals by Paris SG is a shout at 21/20. Alternatively, Paris SG to win & BTTS tempts as a price boost at 13/4

Of the four, it is Barcola who heads to Munich in the best form, having conjured up a hat-trick of goal involvements in Paris SG’s Coupe de France triumph over Stade Reims last weekend, but should we focus solely on the Champions League, Dembele takes the honours.

From a Group Stage thrashing of Manchester City in mid-January onwards the striker has scored or assisted every 68 minutes against Europe’s elite.

With this sublime and exciting attacking set-up ably assisted by Fabian Ruiz and the brilliant Joao Neves, not to mention Achraf Hakimi, a full-back with the attributes of a winger, is it any wonder that Les Parisiens have taken on the most attempts on goal in the tournament this season (300) all while converting 2.1 goals per 90?

It’s perhaps pertinent too that Luis Enrique’s men have scored first in seven of their last nine in the competition.  

66% of Paris SG’s Champions League goals in the knock-outs were scored in the first-half. The French side to be ahead at the break offers up 33/20

Further encouragement for an entertaining contest this Saturday evening derives from Inter firing a Serie A league-high of 79 goals in 2024/25 while a ridiculous semi-final shoot-out with Barcelona highlighted that if a team throws the kitchen sink at them these 1-0 specialists are fine with hurling it back.

Across their group games, it was the parsimonious, well-drilled Inter of lore, winning 1-0 on four occasions, as well as losing 0-1 and eking out a goalless stalemate at the Etihad. When Barca seemingly opened them up at will, however, Simone Inzaghi’s side were content to come out to play, contributing to a 13-goal two-legged thriller that will live long in the memory.

If Paris SG do likewise in Germany, and Inter respond accordingly, then we really could be in business.

Key to the Italians’ success in the semis was Lautaro Martinez occupying the Spanish giants’ defence well and scoring for good measure and it’s a huge plus for I Nerazzurri that the 27-year-old has managed to shrug off recent muscle fatigue. The equally pivotal Hakan Calhanoglu is also expected to feature, having missed games of late.

Elsewhere, Denzel Dumfries is set for a titanic battle down his flank with Nuno Mendes and personally I’m a huge fan of the Dutchman and therefore happy to back him to prevail. Dumfries has a goal involvement every 70.8 minutes from his last five outings while Mendes is a fancy to be carded, cautioned in two of his last five.

Back Dumfries to score or assist and Mendes to be carded at a whopping 22/1

Above all else, Inter have the attacking chops to seriously trouble a Paris SG back-line that has kept just one clean sheet in 12 in Ligue 1. It suggests the boring, low-scoring, to-nil encounters we’ve seen in recent finals could be consigned to the past here.

Over 2.5 goals at 22/25 is a punt only half ground in optimism

And so to other business, starting with this occasion’s sustained habit for offering up late drama. The last time a Champions League final was held at the Allianz Arena was in 2012 and 75% of the goals scored since have come beyond the 55^th minute. There are a fair few last minute strikes in there too.

Though Mendes has been tipped to be carded it is Inter who is anticipated to pick up the higher number of cautions. The Italian’s booking-count in this competition is almost double that of Paris SG’s.

As for corners, the French champions win out here massively, with 6.30 per 90 in the tournament compared to 3.08 for Inter. Paris SG most corners at 21/50 is a decent add to any Bet Builder.

Of which here I’m going with Joao Neves to commit over 1.5 fouls. The midfielder sinned four times in the first-leg semi vs Arsenal and three times in the Coupe de France final.

Add to this, Dembele to take on over 3.5 shots at 7/10. The forward has registered nine in his last two appearances.

Back Paris SG most corners, Neves to commit over 1.5 fouls and Dembele to have over 3.5 shots at 19/5

All that’s left to do then is cross our fingers. Because if this contest’s best performers perform, and if Inter are lured into opening up, then this long campaign could be signed off with one hell of a flourish.

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