Champions League final: Inter or PSG? Way-too-early predictions

The 2025 UEFA Champions League final is set: Reigning Italian champions Internazionale will take on French giants Paris Saint-Germain in the finale in Munich, Germany.

In a strange quirk, it will the first time in history that the two clubs — both European royalty — will face-off in a competitive fixture, in what promises to be compelling clash of styles.

PSG secured their spot in the finale after completing a 3-1 aggregate win over Arsenal on Wednesday, in a tie that saw Les Parisiens team ethic come to the fore. Inter, meanwhile, edged Barcelona in what will go down in history as one the great Champions League semifinals.

With all that in mind, ESPN’s team of writers have gazed into their crystal balls to predict which club will be crowned European champions at the Allianz Arena on May 31.

It’s Inter Milan vs. Paris Saint-Germain in final! How will things play out, and what will be the score?

MARK OGDEN: It’s a really tough call. Two teams chasing a treble, led by experienced, successful coaches in Luis Enrique (PSG) and Simone Inzaghi (Inter) and both sides aiming to overcome recent memories of defeats in the Champions League final — PSG in 2020 and Inter in 2023. It’s also two teams with totally contrasting styles and they each master their own way of playing.

So what will it be? The irresistible force of PSG or the immovable object of Inter? The football romantic in me says it will be PSG and their free-flowing attacking style, led by Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué, that will come out on top, but my head says that Inter will have a plan to nullify PSG and that their experience will get them over the line.

Francesco Acerbi’s stoppage-time equaliser against Barcelona in the semifinal second leg in San Siro might just be a sign that this will be Inter’s year. When a 37-year-old centre-back breaks forward to score a centre-forward’s goal to save his team — it was Acerbi’s first goal in UEFA competition — you can’t help but think that the stars are aligning for Inter. Inter 2-1 PSG.

GAB MARCOTTI: I kinda expect a pretty tactical final, which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a dull game. Both managers can scheme in different ways to get an edge. On paper, PSG will be fresher because they’re a younger side and because, unlike Inter, they have nothing to play for between now and the final. You’d think Luis Enrique would look to exploit that, but whether he does it by coming out of the gates quickly or later in the game — perhaps after their possession game has tired Inter out — is tough to predict.

Inter boss Inzaghi will feel like he has an edge on set pieces and with his 3-5-2 set-up, which many clubs are unaccustomed to facing. A lot will depend on what the Nerazzurri coach can get out of his midfield and how well they stack up against the trio of João Neves, Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz, especially since Hakan Çalhanoglu has been carrying an injury for months.

Beyond that, I imagine this game being decided by X-factors such as goalkeeping (we saw Yann Sommer in miracle-mode on Tuesday night and then on Wednesday, Gianluigi Donnarumma was like “hold my beer…”) and substitutions. There is so much quality for PSG to call on from the bench — with Warren Zaïre-Emery, whichever forward doesn’t start and, of course, Gonçalo Ramos. But subs are Inzaghi’s thing; few managers in the world spend as much time thinking about them. I can see a low-scoring game. Inter 1-0 PSG.

JAMES OLLEY: There was a fearlessness about Inter against Barcelona which will make them dangerous if they can replicate that, especially contrasting with the nervousness PSG showed in the first half of their second leg against Arsenal.

Mark is right in that there are signs this could be Inter’s year, but PSG have the star power to emerge triumphant. Their midfield should prove too strong for Inter to wrestle control of the game away from and PSG have the added benefit of tailoring the next three weeks entirely toward the final, with the Ligue 1 title already wrapped up. I agree with the general consensus here that it will be tight, but I think that man Dembélé will get on the scoresheet and cap a wonderful 2025. Inter 1-2 PSG.

JULIEN LAURENS: Once again, the contrast in style will be huge between the two teams. The youngest team of the competition against the oldest team, the 4-3-3 against the 3-5-2, the intensity against the composure, the 2020 losing finalist against the 2023 losing finalist, the Parisian flair against the Italian tactics: you can’t really do much different than PSG and Inter Milan.

They have points in common too though, two managers, Luis Enrique and Inzaghi who built these teams and squads, implementing a definite style but also the right mentality. They never give up, play the right way, have absolute faith in their own ability.

There won’t be much in between them in the final. Paris have been the best team in Europe in 2025 and have the best midfield and front three. But Inter have the best defence, while the two most in-form goalkeepers in Europe are Donnarumma and Sommer. So, what will make the difference? Individual talent, special quality, a glimpse of genius. In that regard, PSG have more to offer. Inter 1-2 PSG.

TOM HAMILTON: This is a flip-of-a-coin match. Defending against PSG sometimes must feel like trying to hold back the tide. Against Inter, it must be like swimming in a calm sea, only to suddenly get ended by a rogue wave.

Inter have done their best impression of Lazarus in this season’s Champions League and the sight of Acerbi appearing on the edge of Barcelona’s box to slice home the equaliser, just seconds after Lamine Yamal had hit the post at the other end, will be one of those enduring snapshots of this year’s competition. Inter have such a sturdy structure and they are a team far more than the sum of their parts. PSG have this brilliant midfield which can push and pull a match, with their lethal batch of forwards looking to pounce at any moment.

You have this wonderful matchup of youth against experience, flair against pragmatism and contrasting formations, all played under the guidance of a pair of outstanding managers. In short, this will come down to fine margins and focus. Logic suggests this is PSG’s year, with Dembélé the outstanding player in the tournament, but this Champions League hasn’t gone to script. Inter 3-2 PSG after extra time.

BETH LINDOP: Inter helped to deliver one of the most entertaining semifinals in Champions League history but, since the turn of the year, PSG have been the best team in Europe and I expect them to have too much for Inzaghi’s side in the final.

They’re among a select group of teams to have made Premier League champions Liverpool look ordinary this season, and their performance across the two legs against Arsenal was mature and measured.

PSG’s squad is stacked with talent and Dembélé is in incredible form at the moment, so I think he’ll be decisive in Munich, providing he’s fully recovered from his hamstring injury. The most impressive thing about the French champions, though, is their tenacity and relentlessness under Luis Enrique. PSG have always had a sprinkling of star quality but too often, in the decisive moments, their mentality has let them down. They’re now a proper team, with every player fighting for each other. Inter 1-2 PSG.

ALEX KIRKLAND: I agree that it will be very tight, and I think that actually (sorry) it might be a just little bit dull. These finals tend to be incredibly tense, nervous occasions, with both teams focused on not taking too many risks and giving up chances. That’s especially true when they’re between two good, evenly matched sides, as is the case here with PSG and Inter. Four of the last five UCL finals ended 1-0, and even in last year’s 2-0 win for Real Madrid over Dortmund, both goals came late on. We’ve been spoilt for entertainment in this year’s knockout phase, so I guess it’s okay if the final isn’t quite as much fun.

I’ve really enjoyed watching PSG this season — especially that silky midfield — and I’d like to see them win. But it’s worth underlining that even in last night’s 2-1 win over Arsenal, an all-round good performance, they still gave up 2.91 xG to an Arsenal team with literally no striker. They also had a fairly rudimentary attacking plan of getting the ball out wide to their wingers, and then hoping for the best. Donnarumma will need to be at his best again, and even if he is, I’d back Inter to edge the game. Inter 1-0 PSG.

SAM MARSDEN: I will take Gab’s point about PSG being fresher and spin it in Inter’s favour. It can sometimes help to be distracted. Inter’s battle for the Serie A title with Napoli will not only provide them with that, but it will also keep them in a competitive rhythm going into the final. PSG now have two inconsequential games in Ligue 1 to come — although the Coupe de France final against Reims on May 24 may serve as a nice warmup — and that gap in intense games can sometimes do more harm than good.

That said, it really does feel like a balanced final between teams with different setups. Everyone expected Real Madrid to beat Borussia Dortmund last year. Manchester City were big favorites against Inter in 2023. There is no clear pick this year. Inter’s relatively unique (at this end of the Champions League) two-striker system could cause PSG problems, but the French side have tons of verve in attack, a decent crop of midfielders and an incredible work ethic.

It’s the old cliché, isn’t it? It will probably come down to the small details: a mistake here, a great save there, a red card … Inter have already won ties without seeing much of the ball against Barcelona and Bayern Munich — who Inzaghi says are the best two teams in Europe — so why not against PSG, too? Inter 2-1 PSG.

ROB DAWSON: Inter did incredibly well to survive three Barcelona comebacks to book their place in the final. They showed unbelievable resilience to score so late on in stoppage-time and then again in extra-time.

But amid all the excitement, they also looked vulnerable. They gave up goals in quick succession and lost their organisation a number of times in key moments. Plenty of that is down to the way Barcelona play, but it will also give Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain a lot of encouragement.

It’s been a long season and the final in Munich will depend a lot on which team turns up with the most energy. For one of them, it might end up being one step too far. PSG look more stable. They weathered a lot of Arsenal pressure over the two legs of their semifinal and had the attacking players to make the most of opportunities at the other end. It should be a tight game and PSG have the tools to edge it if it comes down to fine margins. Inter 0-2 PSG.