Ederson vs Onana: Two of the world's best goalkeepers facing off in Champions League final
"The team that overcomes the obstacles on the road to victory is the one that wins in the end," Ederson told FourFourTwo at the weekend. From his point of view, it's not a question of being better or not. Only hard work and determination during the Champions League final will win the game. To do that, all of the players have to be ready. The Brazilian is preparing himself, as are his opponents.
Andre Onana, for his part, is preparing to shine again, as he has done throughout his Champions League campaign this year. He will have his work cut out against City's goal machines, but he said a month ago that he "loves responsibility".
The two goalkeepers to feature in the final are two of the best around, but their talents are likely to manifest themselves differently.
Ederson, for example, is in his second Champions League final and will be protected by a strong defensive line. De facto, he is therefore likely to be called upon less during the match.
When he is though, you can expect him to do his job, as he did in the first leg of the semi-final against Real Madrid. With the scores locked at 1-1 in the 78th minute, he made an excellent and hugely important save to keep out Karim Benzema's fine header.
And in the event of a penalty shoot-out, would he be up to the task? He has never hidden the fact that he likes to take them, so could play a huge part in one.
Opposite Ederson, Onana will be contesting his first Champions League final. Having left Ajax last summer, the Cameroonian has become essential to his team, both domestically and on the European stage.
His two saves against Porto in the Round of 16 propelled him back to the forefront of the goalkeeping scene. A round later against Benfica, he was in fine form again, helping his team to progress as much as anyone.
This year, the keeper has played 40 games, conceding 30 goals and keeping 19 clean sheets. By comparison, Ederson has played 46 games, conceded 38 goals and scored 17 clean sheets.
Confident in his own ability and that of his team from the outset, Onana will give it his all.
"We have to stay focused. We know it's going to be difficult, but Inter and I are ready to take on anyone. The important thing is to keep moving forward. We may have suffered, but that can happen in this sport," he told the UEFA website ahead of the quarter-finals.
All that remains now is for him to prove to everyone, once and for all, that he's one of the world's best.