Inter rely on elevated experience to edge hungry PSG

Inter hold a clear advantage over Paris Saint-Germain in terms of experience heading into Saturday's Champions League final. The Nerazzuri count 158 finals among the current players in the squad, 27 more than those played by the Parisians' (131) much younger team.

But the gap is not a surprising one, given the ongoing revolution at PSG. Stardom and established names are no longer central to the club's project, and instead, building a fruitful and reliable long-term project has turned into the priority.

On the other hand, Inter is filled with veterans who are familiar with the feeling of carrying pressure on their shoulders during decisive matches. At the same time, there are players on both teams who have both experience and plenty of years left in the sport, like Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Which players have the most experience in finals?

Considering finals from all major competitions, at national and club level, Marquinhos leads the pecking order with the most appearances in a final among the Paris Saint-Germain squad. The Brazilian centre-back has 24 under his belt, followed by Ousmane Dembele (12) and Lucas Hernandez (11).

Marquinhos is undoubtedly the face of PSG's modern history. Having spent 13 seasons in the French capital, the skipper is their most decorated player in history and is one of the remaining survivors of the 2020 Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich.

As for the Milan outfit, the most experienced is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, with 18. The Armenian has already won the Europa League and Conference League with Manchester United and Roma, respectively. He is now in search of Champions League glory to complete a European hat-trick.

Behind the former Man United and Arsenal playmaker are defender Stefan de Vrij (13) and skipper Lautaro Martinez (12), although 23-year-old Nicola Zalewski also has an impressive final record, with a Europa League and a Conference League under his belt, also with Roma.

How many finals did each player play?

Paris Saint-Germain - 131 finals

Marquinhos - 24
Ousmane Dembele - 14
Lucas Hernandez - 11
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Presnel Kimpembe - 10
Vitinha - 9
Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi - 7
Goncalo Ramos, Nuno Mendes - 6
Kang-In Lee - 5
Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Warren Zaire-Emery, Willian Pacho, Lucas Beraldo - 4
Joso Neves, Senny Mayulu, Arnau Tenas - 3
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - 2
Matvei Safónov - 2

Inter Milan - 158 finals

Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 18
Stefan de Vrij - 13
Lautaro Martinez - 12
Nicolo Barella - 11
Benjamin Pavard, Matteo Darmian - 10
Hakan Calhanoglu, Mehdi Taremi - 9
Alessandro Bastoni, Joaquin Correa, Federico Dimarco, Denzel Dumfries - 8
Francesco Acerbi, Yann Sommer - 6
Carlos Augusto, Marcus Thuram - 4
Piotr Zielinski, Davide Frattesi - 3
Kristjan Asllani, Marko Arnautovic, Nicola Zalewski, Yann Aurel Bisseck - 2
Raffaele di Gennaro - 1

Particular cases for some

Playing in a Champions League final is every player's dream, but not all get to turn it into reality. Some players didn't even get to play it despite being part of the squad, like Stefan de Vrij and Kristjan Asllani. The duo were left as unused substitutes when Inter lost the showpiece against Manchester City in 2023.

A similar situation could occur to Benjamin Pavard. The Frenchman started in Bayern Munich's Champions League triumph in 2020, but risks being sidelined for the showpiece at the Allianz Arena due to injury. PSG defender Lucas Hernandez, who was part of Atletico Madrid's squad in the 2014 final, is also sweating over fitness conditions ahead of Saturday's match.

What about only Champions League finals?

Taking into account finals from all competitions may provide a wider picture heading into the final, but looking exclusively at the Champions League could change one's perspective. Inter boast of nine players who have already had the privilege of doing so: Dimarco, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Calhanoglu, Acerbi, Darmian, Bastoni, Martinez and Dumfries

On the other hand, there are only two PSG players who can say the same: Marquinhos and Kimpembe played in PSG's final defeat to Bayern in 2020. Hernandez is the other exception, though his appearance did not come with the Paris outfit, but instead, with Atletico during the 2014 final defeat against Real Madrid.

The three-time Champions League winners' advantage in terms of experience is mainly due to the final they lost two years ago against Manchester City. Simone Inzaghi's men are now ready to turn that pain into fuel to motivate themselves and target redemption. On the opposite side, however, Luis Enrique has already proven his ability to compete at the highest level with a young squad.

Paris Saint-Germain head into this final with less experience, but also with the hunger to make history and give the club its very first Champions League trophy. It remains to be seen who will claim glory in Munich, whether it's those who already know the weight of the pressure or those who want to show that they are ready to bear it.