UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich face Chelsea tonight

The day of the 2012 UEFA Champions League final has arrived in which German Bundesliga giants FC Bayern Munich take on English Premier League side Chelsea FC at the Allianz Arena in Munich tonight. It is the biggest club match of the season and it is even bigger this year with a home team in FCB having the chance to create history by winning the UEFA Champions League at their own home ground.

Both teams go into the match with a number of players missing due to suspensions picked-up during the semifinal second-legs. While Bayern Munich are missing Holger Badstuber, David Alaba and Luis Gustavo; Chelsea are missing Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles all due to yellow card suspensions, while John Terry had received a red card in Barcelona.

Due to those suspensions both sides go into the match with weakened defensive units and that could be a decisive factor in the match. Bayern Munich will be using holding midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk at the heart of defence alongside Jerome Boateng with Diego Contento moving into the left wingback position, while Toni Kroos joins Bastian Schweinsteiger in defensive midfield. On the other side Chelsea are set to gamble with the defenders Gary Cahill and David Luiz both set to make a first eleven comebacks, while Florent Malouda looks a 50-50 possibility for the match so he could start on the bench.

Both teams come into the final with inconsistant performances and results in recent weeks though Chelsea did win the FA Cup against FC Liverpool while Bayern Munich suffered a 2-5 defeat last weekend in the German Cup against Borussia Dortmund after earlier having conceded the Bundesliga title to the same opponent. But all will be forgotten as the two sides try and avoid final defeats like in 2008 (Chelsea) and 2010 (Bayern Munich).

For Bayern Munich it would be their fifth European Cup triumph for Chelsea it would be illusive trophy that Russian owner Roman Abramovich has always wanted to win. Due to the home advantage Bayern Munich are favourites going into the match, but both coaches Jupp Heynckes and Roberto di Matteo have said that the game starts at 0-0 and that both clubs have a 50-50 chance.


LIKELY LINE-UPS

Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer - Philipp Lahm [C], Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Jerome Boateng, Diego Contento - Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos - Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller, Franck Ribery - Mario Gomez

Chelsea
Petr Cech - Jose Bosingwa, Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Ashley Cole - John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien - Frank Lampard [C] - Salomon Kalou, Juan Mata - Didier Drogba

Referee
Ricardo Proenca (Portugal)