UEFA Champions League 2020 final stands out from the rest for these strange reasons

FC Bayern Munich will be locking horns against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League final that will be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday night. The Bundesliga side reached their 11th Champions League final after having overcome Lyon by a convincing 3-0 margin in the semi-final. However, it was their outstanding performance against FC Barcelona that stood out the most. Barca had to suffer a humiliating 8-2 defeat against Munich that was peaking just at the right time. Hansi Flick's side had decimated former EPL winners Chelsea 7-1 in their Round of 16 clash.

However, there is one reason why this tournament decider is indeed a strange one and that is because the title clash will be contested between the sides that are not as big as compared to their bigger European rivals including the likes of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea, etc. So as Bayern Munich look to win their sixth Champions League title and PSG aim to lift their maiden trophy, let's find out what all will be sorely missed in this epic grand finale.

NEVER BEFORE

It will be the first time after 1976 that a football club from Germany and, France will be facing off in the Champions League final. Bayern had beaten the French club Saint-Etienne in that final.

It is also the first time that a Spanish team failed to qualify for the last four for the first time since the 2007 season. FC Barcelona was the lone Spanish team who had the potential to go all the way but an embarrassing 8-2 defeat at the hands of a strong Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals halted their progress in the tournament. Sadly, there was nothing that even football megastar Lionel Messi could do either.

Last but not the least, it is also for the first time in seven years that the big names in football history will neither be playing in the tournament decider nor will they lift the elusive silverware. Those teams include multiple-time champions FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and, last year's winners, Liverpool.

Can PSG rewrite history?

Meanwhile, this is PSG's maiden Champions League final appearance. However, unlike their opponents, the French club did not succeed in registering emphatic wins. They almost got out of a corner against Borussia Dortmund (3–2) in the Round of 16, and then a 2-1 win against Atalanta in the quarterfinals before registering a convincing 3-0 win against the German side RB Leipzig in the semis.