2012 Champions League Final Preview: Bayern Munich vs Chelse
Chelsea is once again being tagged as underdogs ahead of this Saturday’s Champions League Final, a tag that may provide them with a reassuring familiarity as they tackle Bayern Munich on Saturday evening. Roberto Di Matteo’s side will be having their second bite at securing their maiden European Cup after heartbreak in the 2008 Final, whereas Bayern themselves are looking to secure an historic fifth European Cup triumph.
If Chelsea is to succeed in Munich then they will have to do so without four suspended players, meaning their side will have an altogether different look to those that have been fielded and been victorious earlier in the competition. The task is made all the more demanding for Chelsea as the game will be played before a back drop of Bayern’s very own Allianz Arena, as well as a crowd that will be Bavarian in their majority and certainly raucous in their support. It seems an insurmountable task for Chelsea. Maybe the underdog tag is justifiable this time? Well, maybe not.
As previously mentioned, being second favorites has been a recurrent position for Chelsea and a position they have flourished in so far this season. Twice so far in this competition they have seemingly come back from the dead; after being 3-1 down after the first leg in Napoli as well as 2-0 down (2-1 down on aggregate) in the Nou Camp, with ten men nonetheless. Both times they have managed to come through the tie and it would be naive to write them off again against Bayern. Plus, with proven big game players such as Drogba and Lampard within their ranks, Chelsea will feel they have more than a sniff of returning from Munich victorious.
Bayern is also a side who themselves have failed to fire on all cylinders in recent weeks. Dortmund trounced Bayern 5-2 in the German Cup Final last weekend and the media in Germany have downplayed their chances of winning on Saturday. Maybe their coach Jupp Heynckes has a point when he asked ‘If Chelsea can beat Barcelona over two legs, how are we supposed to beat them?’ It seems nobody wants to be favorites for this final!
Bayern also have its own suspensions to contend with, as Luis Gustavo, Helga Badatuber and David Alaba will all sit this one out. This will lead to a reshuffled back line as Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Diego Contento look likely to fill in at centre half and left back respectively. Thomas Muller should come in to replace Gustavo, with Toni Kroos likely to play a more withdrawn role in midfield.
But just as it would be naive to completely write off Chelsea’s hopes, it would be equally as naive to play down the challenge that they face. Bayern Munich is a European giant who have some of the world’s best footballers. They have in Manuel Neuer many people’s top goalkeeper in the world, the ever consistent Philipp Lahm and bags of running and quality in the centre of midfield with Bastian Schweinsteiger. Factor in the threat on either wing from Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery as well as the finishing ability of Mario Gomez, they are a side that could turn over anyone on their day. Chelsea’s makeshift back line of David Luiz and Gary Cahill, who will both be played as a necessary risk as opposed to a premeditated one, will have to be at their best to contain Bayern’s front three. The last time Cahill and Luiz partnered each other in defense was during the disastrous 3-1 defeat in Napoli. Heynckes is also a manager with genuine Champions League pedigree, as he looks to become the fourth manager to win the trophy with two different sides. Turning over this Bayern side on their own path would be some achievement indeed.
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