MUNICH (AP) — Soccer fans were taking over Munich before Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan go head-to-head in the Champions League final on Saturday.
European club soccer’s biggest prize is at stake between two teams that have felt the pain of falling at the last hurdle in recent years.
Inter was a losing finalist against Manchester City in 2023 and PSG lost in its only final against Bayern Munich in 2020.
Supporters were gearing up for the evening game by making their way to the designated fan zones hours before kickoff. Many stopped en route to sample Munich’s gastronomy on a beautiful warm day in the Bavarian capital.
Near Odeonsplatz, where the Inter fans were gathering, many stopped at neighboring Wittelsbacherplatz — a cobbled plaza flanked by stately buildings with a bronze statue of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, on a horse in the center — where they sheltered from the sun under giant umbrellas and enjoyed lunch washed down by beers.
Police kept a watchful eye on a huge group of black-clad “ultras” who banged drums, sang and waved flags as they marched toward the fan zone. Other Inter supporters who wore t-shirts identifying themselves as hooligans cheered them on.
The PSG supporters were making their way to Königsplatz, another town square nearby, which seemed calm in comparison to the flares, smoke and loud pop tunes being spun at Odeonsplatz.
Overall, it seemed Inter fans outnumbered their French counterparts. On Marienplatz, Munich’s main square in the center of the old town, they jumped and sang songs surrounded by onlookers with their phones up to capture the footage.
Brothers Giuseppe and Andrea Pertosa, who were also at the 2023 final in Istanbul, are hoping for a better outcome this time around.
“We will win 1-0,” Andrea predicted, somewhat doubtfully.
Inter has won the Champions League or European Cup on three occasions, most recently in 2010. PSG hasn’t won it at all.
After spending billions of dollars and signing some of the sport’s greatest players like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, PSG is still waiting for its first Champions League success. Those superstars have exited, but coach Luis Enrique has assembled one of the most exciting squads in Europe, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia filling the void left by that trio.
Luis Enrique is aiming to win the competition for the second time as a coach, having lifted it with Barcelona in 2015, and would become the seventh coach to win the trophy with different teams.
“The motivation for me is to win the Champions League title for the first time for PSG,” he said. “That is the gift I want to give the people, the club, the city.”
Inter was looking for a treble just over a month ago, but is now left with the Champions League as its only possible trophy. It lost the Italian title by a point and was knocked out of the Italian Cup in the semifinals.
“These players in these four years did a lot — won a lot and lost sometimes. It happens. But we all gave our all, everyone. We are proud to be Inter,” coach Simone Inzaghi said. “I dreamed of playing the Champions League final. I didn’t do it as a player, but thanks to this group of players I’ve been in two finals as a head coach.”
When does the Champions League final begin?
The match at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
