Chelsea and Bayern face suspension headache for final

17 May 2012 09:56
With the spectacle that is the Champions League final being just days away, both sides will be in the process of determining their best starting XI for the occasion.

Both sides have depleted squads due to a high number of suspensions, especially in defensive positions.

Chelsea booked their place in the final following a heroic defensive display against Barcelona, that included a red card to captain John Terry.

Bookings in both legs for Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles mean that all three will also be missing for the final.

Additional injuries to David Luiz and Gary Cahill have given Chelsea caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo a few selection issues in defence.

Should neither make the final, Di Matteo may be forced to replace them with Paulo Ferreira and Michel Essien.

As for Bayern Munich they have a few defensive issues themselves caused by suspensions picked up during the win over Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

David Alaba, Luis Gustavo and Holger Badstuber will all be missing for the match at the Allianz Arena.

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Source: DSG