06 May 2012
UEFA Champions League Final: Chelsea Vs Bayern Munich
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
FA Cup Final: Chelsea Vs Liverpool (2-1)
Chelsea's remarkable turnaround since Roberto Di Matteo took over as interim coach has taken it to the brink of a cup double after it beat a disappointing Liverpool side 2-1 with goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba on Saturday.
Its victory at Wembley Stadium in a match it dominated for the first hour keeps the London side's momentum going for what could be an even greater triumph in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in two weeks' time.
A season that seemed des-tined to end in failure under coach Andre Villas-Boas could now finish as the most successful in the club's history if it becomes European champion.
Andy Carroll's 64th minute strike for Liverpool brought the game to life for the last half-an-hour after Chelsea appeared to be coasting to a seventh FA Cup success and its fourth in six seasons but Di Matteo's side hung on to claim the spoils.
The club's campaign has been transformed under Di Matteo - who never lost at Wembley as a player - with just two defeats in 18 matches although he is still only their caretaker boss.
"I'm fortunate enough to have played for the club and won the trophy and today I led the players out . . . not many people get that chance," said a beaming Di Matteo.
This victory and another against Bayern in Munich on May 19 would make it seem almost impossible for Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich to give the job to anyone else although with Chelsea, as ever, the future is uncertain.
The stakes are high because if Chelsea do not win the Champions League it might miss out on playing in the competition altogether next season since it looks likely to finish outside of the top four in the Premier League.
Italian Di Matteo, an FA Cup winner as a player with Chelsea in 1997 and 2000, celebrated an ultimately nail-biting win on the pitch with his team who have rediscovered their self-belief and confidence since he took over.
However, he refused to be drawn on his future, telling reporters: "It is not an issue. I am very pleased with my position until the end of the season and then we will make a decision that is best for the club and we will all respect it."
He graciously added: "AVB should get some credit as he started our run in the FA Cup."
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/Chelsea+wins+seventh/6574321/story.html#ixzz1u57nG3xd
