Paul Ince backing former club in UEFA Champions League final

Liam Williams Updated: 29 May 25 08:36

Paul Ince believes Paris Saint-Germain's style will play into Inter's hands when the two sides meet in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday night.

Paris Saint-Germain have reached the UEFA Champions League final with a number of superb, clinical performances, while Inter could hardly have had a more dramatic path to Munich.

The Nerazzurri survived a fightback by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals before relying on a stoppage-time equaliser to force extra-time in their 7-6 aggregate win over Barcelona in the semi-finals, but Ince is hoping for a lower-key encounter on Saturday.

Ince said: "The neutrals won’t agree but I hope it doesn’t play out like the semi-finals!

"It’s going to be an interesting game if you think about the way PSG play, they play counter-attacking football, win it outside their own box, one or two passes and use the pace of Barcola or Dembele.

"They played like that at Anfield and cause so many teams trouble, so they’ll sit deep and then go, but I think that plays into Inter’s hands because they play three at the back and they’ll be well aware of the threat Paris pose.

"From the other point of view, PSG have got to think about how they’ll deal with the wing-backs and how they’ll handle Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries who can both get in the box and get their fair share of goals. That’s going to be the major play for me.

"We know how the Italians like to defend but Inter also like to play with possession, yet they’re prepared to suffer without the ball so I can see it being a bit of a chess match."

Ousmane Dembele appears to be a win away from claiming this year's Ballon d'Or, but Ince believes Inter forward Lautaro Martinez, who's also in the running for the award having scored nine goals in this season's competition, could steal the show.

"I just think with Lautaro Martinez they’ve got the game changer," said Ince. "Dembele’s not an out-and-out striker and I think Martinez can make the difference.

"The longer the game goes without a goal, the more I fancy Inter, but if PSG score first and Inter open up, PSG can pick them off on the counter-attack."

Over the years, Paris Saint-Germain have been able to dominate the domestic game but have often been unable to adapt to the demands required for the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League.

PSG fielded strong sides for last week's cup final and their final Ligue 1 game of the season, but have been afforded the luxury of resting their biggest names in recent weeks. Ince, however, thinks that could actually have an adverse effect on Saturday night.

"I get resting players, but as players, we want to keep playing," said Ince. "Because Inter have been going for the Scudetto, all of these players have played every week so they’re match-sharp and ready to go again, PSG haven’t done that.

"They won their title two months ago so they’ve been rested and that might actually give Inter an advantage."

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