Buses, bobsleds and Nissan LEAF: Mikaniki’s guide to the Champions League final

Tomorrow, Sunday 23 August, two of Europe’s best teams will go head to head for Champions League glory in a final to remember.

In the red corner, playing in their first ever Champions League final, is the big-spending, star-studded Paris St Germain. And in the blue corner, vying for their sixth Champions League title, is the relentless Bayern Munich. Bring. It. On.

Sadly, there won’t be any fans in attendance. Thanks to COVID-19, most of us will be tuning into the game from the safety of our homes, watching along as Clive Tyldesley and Peter Drury take us through the play-by-play action on the main stage.

Nissan brings electrified excitement to UEFA Champions League Final

If you had the foresight to get yourself a 100 per cent electric Nissan LEAF, this just may be your lucky day. Nissan’s setting up a drive-in cinematic viewing for a select 50 LEAF owners and their guests!

You’ll be parked at a secret location that’ll be revealed to you in private, sitting in team formation and facing a giant screen, where the Parisian pipers will go head to head with Bayern’s beasts. That means you’ll either take your place in Thomas Tuchel’s 4 – 3 – 3 or Hans-Dieter Flick’s 4 – 2 – 3 – 1.

You’ll also have the opportunity to meet LEAF owner number 5,000: Portugal and Champions League legend Nuno Gomes, who once shared the field with the likes of Luis Figo and Rui Costa.

This massive watch party aside, Nissan will also be the official Champions League trophy bearer, parading it through Lisbon to the Estadio Da Luz aboard its LEAF NISMO RC electric performance car. Wouldn’t it be a sight if the car dropped the trophy before it got to the stadium?

The journey to the final

PSG overturned a 2 – 1 deficit against Borussia Dortmund to progress from the Round of 16, 3 – 2 on aggregate, while Bayern Munich hammered Chelsea 7 – 1 on aggregate with Serge Gnabry putting on a show.

COVID-19 stopped the action thereafter, and the teams returned to neutral turf in August, with UEFA announcing a condensed knock-out version of the tournament, featuring a possible 5 substitutions to keep it competitive.

It looked as though Atalanta, who have been impressive all season, were going to dump PSG out in the Quarter Finals, until two 90th minute quick-fire goals from ex-Stoke man Chupo Moting and defender Marquinhos booked PSG’s semi-final ticket.

Bayern Munich, meanwhile, made something of a Red Wedding against Barca in Lisbon, absolutely destroying the Catalan Giants in an unthinkable 8 – 2 thrashing.

PSG made quick work of their Semi-final tie against RB Leipzig, cruising to a comfortable 3 – 0 victory, while Bayern didn’t quite take it into sixth gear, but still bowled a brave Lyon side over on the way to a 3 – 0 drubbing.

Players to watch and their rides

In true Mikaniki fashion, let’s take a look at the player to watch from either side and the cars they drive.

PSG’s jewel

Star studded was what we used to describe PSG. And a single glance at their best XI will tell you why. The attacking threat of Neymar, Mbappe, Di Maria, Icardi. The defensive capabilities of Marquinhos. And (probably my pick), high flying goalie, Keylor Navas, who sealed his move from Real Madrid last year and has put in some stellar performances.

Now that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the twilight of their careers, it’s natural that we’re already thinking about who’s going to dominate the Ballon D’Or for the decade. Right now, two names come to mind. Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

And since Kylian Mbappe apparently doesn’t feel confident to drive himself to training yet, our pick for PSG’s main man will be Neymar.

His big-money move out of Messi’s shadow at Barcelona has not been smooth to say the least. He has endured abuse from fans, and this will be his opportunity to show them all why he is one of the best out there. We just hope his finishing will be on point tomorrow.

It’s no secret that Neymar’s one of the top paid footballers in the world. That pretty much means he can have any car he wants. His garage is populated with Audis, a Maserati MC12 and a Ferrari 458 Italia to name a few.

One of the more interesting ones he’s got is a Vanderhall Carmel GT, which kind of looks like a Bobsled from Cool Runnings painted in red. Make no mistake, the two letters GT do feature in the name, which means you can expect speeds of up to 222 km/h. So a turbo-powered Bobsled then?

A surprise selection for Bayern

No doubt, the name on everyone’s lips will be Robert Lewandowski. The man has scored 61 goals and notched 11 assists in all competitions. Had the Ballon D’Or gone through this year, he’d have been a forerunner for sure.

But other players have impressed in the knockout stages. Leon Goretzka. Thomas Muller. Serge Gnabry. Even Ivan Perisic.

But my pick for Bayern Munich would have to be 19-year-old Canadian Alphonso Davies. He may not have all the experience in the world, but the attacking full back has really come through the ranks to establish himself in Flick’s side.

His pace, power, natural fitness and stamina tore Barcelona apart, and he capped off a magnificent performance by setting Joshua Kimmich up for Bayern’s fifth goal on the night.

And guess what? Rumour has it that, up until very recently, Davies was actually riding the tram and bus to training, although it seems as though he has since treated himself to a neat set of Audi wheels to test the Autobahn out.

Tuning in tomorrow

So who’s it going to be? A Bayern Munich side playing with concise German efficiency? Or a  glittering PSG with an immense front-three? Just remember to stay safe while watching. You can catch the final on YouTube courtesy of BT Sport at 23:00 GST.