Chelsea play Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final and Matthew Glazier explains why the Blues can seal victory.Claudio Ranieri, José Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti and Andre Villas-Boas have all failed Roman Abramovich in their quest to win the Champions League with Chelsea, although Roberto Di Matteo is just a game away from delighting the Russian business tycoon with a European Cup.The stage is set for the 2012 Champions League final and, despite Chelsea beingunderdogs for the clash at the Allianz Arena, there are plenty of reasons to suggest that blue will be the colour in Munchen.Bayern Munich have just been tonked in the German Cup finalNot only have Borussia Dortmund retained their Bundesliga title, they have just thrashed Bayern in the German Cup final by a 5-2 scoreline. Robert Lewandowski helped himself to a hat-trick and Bobby Di Matteo must have been a very interested spectator in the stands.Chelsea have already conquered BarcelonaAfter beating Barca at the Bridge and drawing 2-2 with 10 men at the Nou Camp, beating Bayern in the final is potentially an easier task, despite the absence of the suspended John Terry. Yes, Chelsea enjoyed a big slice of fortune to come through their semi-final tie, although they must surely believe their name is on the trophy.Home advantage could be a disadvantageYes, the final takes place in Bayern’s back yard, although there won’t be 65,000 screaming Germans at the Allianz Arena with the ticket allocation being split evenly and the rest of the crowd consisting of UEFA’s corporate partners and neutral supporters. Plus, who’s to say that the pressure of winning at home won’t weigh heavily around the necks of Robben and Co?Bayern’s goals have started to dry upJupp Heynckes’ team were scoring in quotas of 5,6 and 7 earlier in the campaign as part of a 10-match winning run, although have become a lot less prolific in front of goal. Yes, they still have attacking weaponry in the form of Muller, Gomez and Robben, but the team aren’t in the form of last autumn when they were sweeping aside Manchester City et al.Didier Drogba will be out to finish Chelsea career with a bangCan Didier Drogba wreak more havoc against a creaking Munich defence? He’s certainly a more potent player than Lewandowski and has been excellent in recent matches, including the FA Cup final where the Drog proved himself to be a man for the big occasion. Badstuber and Boateng better watch out!Bayern Munich are the great European underachieversDie Roten might have an impressive 22 league titles under their belt, although there has been just one Champions League triumph since the hat-trick of European Cups in the 1970’s. Bayern have been runner-up in 1982, 1987, 1999 and 2010 compared to that win against Valencia in 2001.Chelsea have had more preparation time for the finalSince eliminating Barca in the semi-final, all roads have led to Wembley and Munich for Di Matteo’s team. They were always outsiders for a top four place and several first-team players have been given plenty of rest ahead of Saturday’s showdown, including Drogba, Cole, Cech and Lampard. Will their freshness give them the edge against a German side under pressure to win silverware?This article originally appeared on Bettingpro.com
Source: FOOTYMAD
