Champions League Final

As both Manchester United and Chelsea fans arrive in Moscow for the Champions League Final with no place to stay and many without tickets, online betting fans sit at home stroking their beards and wondering which way this one is going to go. Manchester United, with great breadth and depth to their team, are the obvious favourites with prices around the 13/8 mark on various online betting sites. The snag is, it’s difficult to overlook the fact that they were beaten by Chelsea less than a month ago.

Foreign turf might make the difference. The Chelsea win was at the Bridge and the equalisation brought to both teams by the Moscow venue might justify the bookies underdog offer of 9/4 on Chelsea. Certainly, Alex Ferguson is brimming with theatrical confidence while Avram Grant is approximately an ant’s nostril away from picking up his P45 if things go awry at the Luzhniki Stadium tonight. Especially with Roman there in front of all his Russian mates for the crowning glory of his expensive football adventure.

Chelsea has had a couple of lucky breaks to get to the final, not least against Liverpool while Manchester United has improved with each season in the Champions League. The Chelsea team is said to pick itself at the moment and, while that might sound like a good thing, Alex Ferguson has to make some shrewd choices, not because he is strapped for talent but more because he is spoiled for choice. Drogba will be the key for Chelsea. If he’s in the mood he is more than a match for Lampard and hunger from him could prove decisive.