Shock at Man City Champions League final starting XI, but Chelsea lineup much as expected

There was shock as Pep Guardiola controversially opted for no Manchester City holding midfielder in his Champions League final starting XI.

The starting lineups for today’s Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea have been unveiled – and there’s been widespread surprise at City head coach Pep Guardiola’s chosen XI.

Meanwhile, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel’s selection has turned few heads, with the only real talking points being Reece James’ retention over Andreas Christensen in defense Kai Havertz being preferred over USMNT star Christian Pulisic in the forward three.

Tuchel also looks to be sticking with the 3-4-3 formation that’s served him well since he took over from Frank Lampard in January.

Guardiola opts for no Man City holding midfielder in Champions League final

In contrast, very few people expected Guardiola to omit both Fernandinho and Rodri today. It means that City will start the game without a dedicated defensive midfielder.

Ilkay Gundogan, returning to the side after missing out against Everton at the weekend, is expected to be the most central of City’s midfield three.

Guardiola has, of course, built up a reputation for “overthinking” his lineups in the Champions League since his time at his previous club, Bayern Munich.

In essence, this means he’s repeatedly made changes to his starting XIs and formations in the UCL that have seemed confusing, unnecessary and counterproductive.

Most worrisome for Man City fans, those changes have tended to have very negative consequences for Guardiola’s teams.

The good news for neutrals, though, is that Guardiola has gone for what seems to be an extraordinary attacking lineup, which hints at an entertaining game to come.

Finally, it’s far less of a surprise that departing City legend Sergio Aguero, in what would be his last appearance for the club ahead of an expected move to Barcelona, has been named on the bench.