When Sheikh Mansour bought Manchester City 15 years ago, this is what he dreamed of. The seven Premier League titles, three FA Cups and six League Cups are an essential part of what City has become, but the Champions League was always the target. After repeated near misses and increasingly absurd exits, Saturday, if all goes to form, will mark not only the culmination of the quest for European glory but also only the second treble in English history.
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Inter Milan, of course, can win. This is soccer, and surprises happen. But it’s been a long time since a team went to a major European final as highly fancied as City is, probably since Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 (when Madrid won) or Barcelona against Steaua Bucharest in 1986 (when Barça lost). That’s in part because Inter finished third in Serie A, fully 18 points behind champions Napoli, and in part because City, since losing to Tottenham on Feb. 5, has been so dominant. In the 27 games since, it has been behind for a total of just 15 minutes.
