da bet nacional： The pervading opinion is that Manchester City will cruise to victory in Istanbul, but their Italian opponents lack neither quality nor character

da fezbet： According to , Inter have "no chance" in the Champions League final against Manchester City, and while one should never really pay much attention to some of the English tabloids, it's noteworthy that even the is calling Saturday's showdown in Istanbul "Mission almost impossible" for the Italian team.

There has even been some debate over whether this is, on paper at least, the biggest mismatch we've ever seen at this stage of the competition. In Italy, everyone from Fabio Capello to Antonio Cassano acknowledges that City are the best team in the world right now, the clear favourites to take home the trophy. In England, Jamie Carragher has claimed that Inter are "levels below" their treble-chasing opponents, while Michael Owen is adamant that not a single member of Simone Inzaghi's squad would get in Pep Guardiola's starting line-up.

Fair to say, then, that Inter are under no pressure, but are they feeling any fear? After all, Inter are not only going up against Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Ilkay Gundogan, they must also somehow stop the most terrifying forward in football right now – Erling Haaland.

"I'm scared of murderers and thieves," centre-back Alessandro Bastoni told reporters on Monday, "not guys my own age! We need to go out on the pitch and play football, with a clear mind."

GettyQuietly confident

Which, in fairness, is exactly what they've done nearly all season long in the Champions League, most notably in the semi-finals against AC Milan. In 'the derby of derbies', Inter rose to the occasion; their city rivals appeared overwhelmed by it.

There is, then, a quiet confidence about Inter right now. They have defied the odds before; they understandably see no reason why they cannot do so again. Remember, nobody expected them to even get out of their group. Having been bracketed with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, it was thought that Inter's most realistic goal was qualification for the Europa League. However, despite losing their tournament-opener, at home to Bayern, they qualified with a game to spare after taking four points off Barca alone.

And several players have stated this week that the 1-0 win over the Blaugrana at San Siro on October 4 was the key moment in their European campaign. Barca had all the ball that night, but Inter held firm, producing an impressively disciplined defensive display to keep Robert Lewandowski & Co. quiet. Something similar may well be required on Saturday night…

AdvertisementGettyUnderestimated attacking threat

Inter can play, though. It's obviously very easy to bill this as the irresistible force against the immovable object, given City are the tournament's top scorers (31 goals), while Inter boast the best defence, with eight clean sheets. But it's a little more nuanced than that.

Inter certainly do not lack attacking quality, as they proved in the group stage. Barcelona's Liga title triumph was founded upon their excellent defensive work, yet Xavi's side was repeatedly ripped to shreds in a 3-3 draw at Camp Nou that effectively sealed Inter's place in the last 16. Indeed, they dominated the majority of that game, which they also should have won right at the death to completely kill off Barca's faint hopes of qualifying for the next round.

City should, therefore, be wary of not only star striker Lautaro Martinez, Inter's big-game player who has hit a career-high 28 goals in all competitions this season, but also a resurgent Romelu Lukaku and an evergreen Edin Dzeko.

Elsewhere, dead-ball specialist Hakan Calhanoglu is a dangerous long-range shooter, while the brilliant box-to-box midfielder Nicolo Barella is always capable of making something happen with his surges into the area (even if he should score more than he does).

And then there is the threat out wide.

Getty'How are City going to open up that back five?'

After the second-leg win over Milan, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard highlighted the problem posed by Federico Dimarco to opposition defences. The Italian has arguably been the revelation of Inter's entire season, with five assists in the Champions League, and fellow wing-back Denzel Dumfries can also do damage. The Dutchman may be maddeningly inconsistent, but he is capable of getting in behind defences, as he illustrated to impressive effect at the World Cup in Qatar.

Indeed, while discussing the final immediately after Manchester City had routed Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium, Thierry Henry said the aspect of the final he was most looking forward to was seeing how Guardiola tackles Inter's 3-5-2 formation.

"Dumfries and Dimarco will be quicker to arrive on his wingers than usual, because they will already be there, out wide, in more advanced positions," Henry told . "So, now, how are [City] going to create that overload? How are [they] going to open up that back five? Because it will become a five-man defence in the final because City will have all the ball and Inter will be low. It's easier to kill a back four with how City plays, so Pep might come up with something. I don't know what but I want to see that tactical battle."

Former Italy international Cassano is just as intrigued, pointing out that Brentford, the one side to do the double over City in the Premier League this season, "play with the same formation as Inter".

Getty Images'We have what it takes to beat City'

Inter are, of course, acutely aware of the size of the task facing them. Earlier this week, Bastoni dismissed the idea that they will need a miracle to win in Istanbul, but conceded that victory would require a "perfect game from everyone that sets foot on the field".

However, the ball-playing centre-back – who, contrary to what Owen might think, would slot seamlessly into City's defence – promptly added, "We know our value." And they do.

Every single player who faced the press on Monday was at pains to point out that while they hold City in the highest esteem, they are no mugs themselves. They may have been somewhat fortunate to find themselves on the right side of the draw, but they have not made it to Istanbul by chance. They deserve to be in the final.

"We earned this opportunity on the pitch," Robin Gosens declared in an interview with . "We're going there to win. We know it'll be a struggle, but we have what it takes to beat Manchester City."

The Daily Mail may disagree, of course, but as Dimarco argued, "Inter's history speaks for itself." A childhood fan of the club, he has been rewatching the 2010 final win over Bayern Munich for the past decade. He knows that such historic triumphs have as much to do with character as quality.