The five most important key duels in the Champions League final

Manchester City are clear favorites to win their first Champions League when the super-wealthy club take on one of Europe's old guards, a resurgent Inter.
Here AFP takes a look at the matches that could determine Saturday's final in Istanbul:

Erling Haaland vs. Francesco Acerbi

Monster striker Haaland gives City a whole new dimension of attacking threat and if Inter have a chance to stop Pep Guardiola's team, they need to be up to par against the Norwegian.

Inter have been without former captain and centre-back Milan Skriniar for months now, who will join Paris Saint-Germain this summer due to a back injury, and in theory there should be no matchup between Haaland and Acerbi.

Acerbi, a veteran of the Italian national team, has become a worthy replacement for Skriniar. However, he has yet to deal with a striker of this type who, for the second time in his career, will top the Champions League top scorer list at just 22 years old.

Acerbi's difficult task was summed up by a young fan outside Inter's training ground, who gave the 35-year-old a fishing net to try to catch Haaland. You can also find out more about the sporting events in 2023 that we are looking forward to by visiting this web page.

Kevin De Bruyne vs Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Haaland may be the finisher, but De Bruyne is the man tossing the balls for City, and Mkhitaryan's nimble midfielder will be critical in preventing De Bruyne from going insane.

De Bruyne has scored seven goals in 11 games since the last international break, including two in a 4-0 win against Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-finals that secured them a ticket to Istanbul.

Inter's midfield is a unit that attacks and defends as one, but former Manchester United player Mkhitaryan, if he can play, will be the lucky one in the center three to deal with De Bruyne's shot.

Federico Dimarco vs. Kyle Walker

Born and raised in Milan and a lifelong Inter supporter, Dimarco became a key player in his childhood club at the age of 20 after spending several years on loan.

The 25-year-old provides width and dynamism on the left flank with good crosses and set-pieces, and his battle with speedy England full-back Walker will be critical to how Inter build attacks and crush City, who most likely to dominate the possession. Raise your excitement by betting on sports by reading this guide.

This season, Dimarco was a regular for Inzaghi's team following the departure of Ivan Perišić to Tottenham Hotspur, appearing in 10 of Inter's 12 Champions League matches and scoring five goals in his European campaign.

Lautaro Martinez vs Manuel Akanji

Argentine striker Martinez is on yet another of his signature streaks, and the last one came in handy to hurt City.

Martinez has scored 11 goals in his last 12 games in all competitions and is clearly enjoying playing alongside Edin Dzeko or Romelu Lukaku who are also in good shape.

With Dzeko or Lukaku opposite Ruben Diaz as a more traditional centre-forward, Lautaro will circle around City's backline and attack the Akanji zone.

Ilkay Gundogan vs Hakan Calhanoglu

Gundogan tends to come into the role when it comes to City, providing midfield for Rodri and occasionally scoring an important goal, such as when he scored two of a kind in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United.

Calhanoglu, meanwhile, has found new life since moving from one side of Milan to the other two years ago, and he has the added incentive to try to win the Champions League in his home country.