8
LONDON — The first all-English Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea could be a feast of high quality soccer. Or it could be just another Premier League game.
With at least 50,000 fans headed for Moscow, it likely will be a security and logistical nightmare.
United and Chelsea have a wealth of talent to make it a memorable final at the Luzhniki Stadium with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Ryan Giggs on one side taking on Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko and Nicolas Anelka on the other.
Despite the Russian setting, however, the teams could turn it into just another domestic game as if they were playing at Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford.
Chelsea's John Terry celebrates with Petr Cech after beating Liverpool during their Champions League second leg semi-final soccer match at Stamford Bridge Stadium in London, Wednesday. (Alastair Grant/AP)
Related Articles
The fact that Chelsea beat United 2-1 last weekend to draw level on points at the top of the Premier League adds more spice, even though the domestic title race will have been decided 10 days before the May 21 final.
That means one of the teams will go to Moscow as champion and the other as likely runner-up.
While United has been collecting domestic league and cup titles on a regular basis since Sir Alex Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford in 1986, Chelsea has become a major contender since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought control four years ago.
"We won the Premier League two years running and we've won other trophies and it takes a great side to do that," said Blues captain John Terry. "But a Champions League trophy would answer a few critics and it is something I am desperate to win.
"Until recently we were not a club to challenge for everything. We'd win the occasional trophy like the FA Cup in 1997 and 2000 but we were never a problem for the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, who have done well over the years. But they've all had to start somewhere and now we're at the beginning of that stage."
Chelsea could top all by beating United in the final of European soccer's most prestigious club competition.
United has been in two finals before and won them both, the last under Ferguson in 1999 when it scored two late goals in Barcelona to beat Bayern Munich 2-1.
Under Matt Busby, the Red Devils triumphed 4-1 over Portugal's Benfica after extra time at Wembley in 1968, 10 years after his young team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes" lost eight players in the Munich air crash which claimed 23 lives.
The accident came when the team was on a stopover after a European Cup game against Red Star Belgrade, and the victims will be remembered when the team faces Chelsea in this year's final.
A United victory in Moscow would serve as a tribute to the memories of those stars, who were considered potentially a big rival to the great Real Madrid team that won the first five European Cups.
If United, now owned by Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer and his sons, is to capture a third title, Ronaldo will need to play a major role.
The Portuguese star has scored 38 league and cup goals this season. But he has failed to hit the target in his last four, including the two Champions League semifinal games against Barcelona and the Premier League loss to Chelsea. He has gained a reputation for not producing his best performances in the biggest games.
Ronaldo, who has just won his second player of the year award in two years from his fellow pros, believes his best is yet to come.
"I'm the top scorer in the Champions League and I hope to score more in the final," he said. "It's normal that when you get a lot of goals you get a lot of headlines. But all the players are involved in that and we all want to do what's best for the club and we do our best to make sure that happens. As much as I work for the goals, so does Rooney, so does Tevez."
Meanwhile, the English fans who want to get to Moscow to watch the game are already finding that hotel rooms are full and there are very few seats left on scheduled flights.
Getting to Moscow from England by road would be very difficult because of the distance and having to cross borders, so the only alternative appears to be charter flights that get the fans to the city on the day of the game and fly them back out after it finishes.
UEFA is holding talks with organizers and officials from both teams in Moscow, and there are hopes that the Russians will waive the need for fans to have to apply for visas if they have genuine tickets for the final.
But there are fears that many fans will try and buy tickets second-hand online or buy them from scalpers.
"I would very much discourage them. There would be absolutely no guarantee that the tickets would be bona fide tickets," said UEFA spokesman William Gaillard.
"There will be electronic turnstiles which will reject tickets which are counterfeit. At the same time every ticket has a number on which identifies a person so you will find yourself in a bit of a mess if suddenly you are in possession of a ticket which should not be yours."
