A rivalry will form when European giants Chelsea and Bayern Munich face off in the 2011/2012 UEFA Champions League Final.
The teams were considered underdogs in their semi-final legs against Barcelona and Real Madrid, but heading in to the final, a home advantage grants Bayern favouritism for the title.
Only once have the teams clashed in the past, with Chelsea progressing from the quarter final in 2005, with a mere 1-0 victory (6-5) on aggregate.
John Terry, Peter Cech, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard from Chelsea, and only Bastian Schweinsteiger representing Bayern, remain from the 2005 clash, revealing the past is no result to influence the 2012 clash.
Bayern Munich and Chelsea both faced tough opposition in the build up, defeating heavily favoured Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
Barcelona are currently the defending champions of the Champions League, and Real Madrid are the most successful club ever within its glory, claiming a total of nine titles.
Heading into the final, Bayern overcame competition from Basel, Marseille and Real Madrid, while Chelsea defeated Napoli, Benfica and lastly, the favourites, Barcelona.
Bayern Munich will be missing Badstuber, Gustavo and Alaba after conceding three yellow cards a piece in the earlier rounds of the Champions League.
Despite Bayern’s unofficial request to have the suspensions wavered, the UEFA governing body has made it clear that the suspensions will be upheld.
Chelsea see themselves in the same position as their German counterparts, with Ramires, Ivanovic, John Terry and Raul Meireiles, also sitting out as a result of suspension.
Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich said: “Chelsea are also a great team, one game to decide it, it’s a knockout game and anything can happen, so we must be careful.”
Neuer is wary of Chelsea’s recent form, qualifying for two cup finals, the FA Cup against Liverpool and the Champions League, in conjunction with toppling the league favourites Barcelona.
Despite success on an international scale, on the home front, Chelsea are predicted to finish sixth behind Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle, and Bayern are unable to catch Dortmund for the Bundesliga title, the UEFA Champions League Final is primarily a tale of the underdogs.
As Chelsea look likely of failing to reach the top four within the English Premier League with two rounds remaining, a win over Bayern Munich will consolidate a position in the Champions League for the 2012/13 season, knocking out the fourth-placed EPL team.
Chelsea will be putting everything they have got into the final against Bayern to make sure they will have a chance to play European football next season, and one team will come up trumps to finish the regular seasons on a high note.
The UEFA Champions League Final will be played on the 19th of May, 2012 at Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
