Inter Milan are leaving nothing to chance in their quest for European glory. This Saturday, when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final, they’ll take to the pitch wearing their third kit bright yellow. It’s a historic move, as the “Nerazzurri” have never before played a match of this magnitude in their alternate strip.

The color yellow brings them good luck

The choice is far from arbitrary. The yellow kit has brought nothing but success in Europe this season: two matches, two wins. In contrast, Inter only defeat in this Champions League campaign came while wearing their white away kit, in the group stage against Bayer Leverkusen a result that led the club to shelve it entirely.

Their traditional black-and-blue striped home kit is also off the table, as PSG will be the designated home team at Munich Allianz Arena, and the colors clash.

While yellow is often considered a bad luck color in countries like Spain, in Italy superstition tends to revolve around violet. In the theater world, wearing purple on opening night is thought to bring misfortune. Football, however, tends to bend the rules clubs like Fiorentina wear purple with pride. For Inter, this decision is less about color folklore and more about sticking to what’s worked on the pitch.

Tribute to Former President Ernesto Pellegrini

Saturday final will also carry emotional weight for the Italian club. Inter players will wear black armbands in memory of Ernesto Pellegrini, the club’s president from 1984 to 1995, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 84.

Pellegrini oversaw one of Inter’s most successful eras. Under his leadership, the club won the historic 1989 Scudetto tallying 58 points in 34 matches, when wins still counted for just two points as well as the Italian Super Cup and two UEFA Cups (1991 and 1994). He also built the legendary “German Inter,” signing stars like Rummenigge, Matthäus, Brehme, and Klinsmann.

A Clash of Giants on the European Stage

Inter aim to lift their fourth European Cup, and their first in 15 years. PSG, on the other hand, are chasing their maiden Champions League title and a potential historic treble. With history, emotion, and superstition all in play  this final has all the ingredients of a classic.