Who will win in Moscow?

It could be billed as a battle between youth and experience, between beauty and brutality. In the red corner, as Martin Samuel writes in today’s Times, there is the naïve but brilliant attacking force that is Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez. In the blue, is a team built upon a midfield of Essien, Ballack and Makelele that is formidable for its cunning and physical strength. This evening, only one will be left standing. Who do you fancy?

Recent history suggests Chelsea have worked out how to negate Manchester United's creativity, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s team having won only two of the past 14 matches between the sides. Yet the United manager insists that the inexperience of his forward line – who, if they perform to their best, could surely decide the match – will work in their favour in the Luzhniki Stadium. With youth, he says, comes a fearlessness that will help them to overcome the pressure of playing in a Champions League final.

Perhaps, though, it is wrong to focus on Wayne, Cristiano and Carlos. In his preview of the match, Matt Dickinson says that most neutrals will hope that the United forwards click and win their side the trophy. Yet does that not unfairly overlook the potential contributions of Chelsea players such as Frank Lampard and Joe Cole, both of whom try to play the beautiful game?

Let us know your thoughts on that and any other aspect of the game in the comment box below. In short, we want to know who will win and how.

Comments

[Hassan]

The Dutch in the 1970’s? Just because Ronaldo does a scatter-brained imitation of the Johan Cruyff step over, it doesn’t make United a reincarnation of 1970’s Holland. The idea that you can somehow compare the football of a national side with the football of a club side is like inherently flawed. How many Dutch players play at United? Oh that’s right, one. And he’s the goalkeeper. What a haughty influence Van Der Sar must have on proceedings.

And contrary to your rose-tinted observation, United don’t “glide” across the pitch like vinyl. United’s game is counter attack. They’re Italy on fast forward. Excellent in defence, fairly average in midfield, and good upfront.

As for Ronaldo being the best player in the world, yes, this season he has been. I wonder if the fact that Ronaldo is (unlike Zidane, the “real” Ronaldo, Figo, Ronaldinho, Kaka) bawling about how he is best player in the world says more about his insecurity than his greatness? When you zoom into his statistics, the reasoning behind his insecurity becomes a little less blurred. Is Ronaldo a flat track bully? Probably not. Is he up there with the best of them? Definitely not.

To sum up Arsenals game as short pass and pace is a little narrow. It revolves around Fabregas at the moment who has the sort of vision that sparks memories of Zidane. And he’s only 21. Oh, and where did he learn to play his beautiful attacking football? Trained at Barcelona, plays at Arsenal.

Barcelona’s game is probably the most creative in club football. They probe, they ask questions, they pass, they retain possession and unlike United (we’ll bore you until you give us the opportunity to counter attack) inflict sweet misery on their opponents. Barcelona’s man of the moment is someone we all know – the insanely talented Messi who, in my opinion, is a lot more resourceful than Ronaldo despite playing in an out of sorts Barcelona side and, yes, Ronaldo is better in the air as we saw last night against Chelsea, but compare jelly legged Ronaldo at 20 with ‘the ball is glued to my foot’ Messi at 20? The Little Maradona has scored a hat trick against Real when his team really needed it from him, he has scored one of the greatest goals of the century, and he controls Barcelona’s attack like a conductor. Ronaldo is the best this season but anyone with an appetite for football surely knows that Messi is the future.

Well done Manchester United for winning - on penalties. Well done Drogba for getting sent off – now get stuffed to Milan. I felt sorry for Terry and, like many, I wonder if Chelsea will ever lift the top prize in European football. Great game anyway.

[james]

walti wrong! man utd :D champions again at last.

[Shane]

I think you are missing something. We do all know full well know that Manchester United play attractive expansive football in a way which is so similar to the Dutch team of the 1970's, that the only difference is that this United team pick up trophies and play in red. They glide across pitches with such pace and passing precision which only makes you wonder how on earth do they do it. It doesn't take a genius to understand how the self proclaimed best player in the world picks up 40 goals a season. It also doesn't take a genius to understand that there are very different ways to play attacking football.
Barca, Arsenal and United all differ. Arsenal constantly attack with pace and short passes, Barca probe diverting attention away from their dangermen (well man at the moment and you are missing something if you don't know who that is) until they are free, then as soon as they are you sit back and enjoy the show. Then United suck you in to the point where you seem foolish for forgetting who they have in attack then hit you with a flurry of punches. They all play beautiful football they just do it in different ways.

As of tonight it is truly too close to call. But in defence of the blue corner brutality is far from what they really are. Is Makelele really a midfield titan whose main attribute is strength? No he is a midfield titan based on this incredibly ability to dictate a match by standing in the right position and playing the right pass, the hardest task in football. Drogba given is a battering ram. But the rest of the team are far from it. Essien is not just a simple example of the modern football athelete, whose strength is actual strength. The player can do everything (and I really mean anything) almost aswell as any other player. That's why if he stayed a right back for the rest of his career he would be arguably the best. Same with near enough every other position on the football pitch.
The answer to what type of team Chelsea really are was when Manchester United played them at Stamford Bridge and when they play them tonight in Moscow. A team based on creating momentum and pressure by constantly controlling the possesion until the opposition forget they are at a football match and make mistakes. Beautiful it may not be but still impressive. So Sir Alex will put out a team with three in midfield to stop this from taking place.
Hopefully I will have tempted fate to the point where Ferguson will do the opposite and force Chelsea to do the same. Then we will have what we all want. A good game of football.

[Barrie Collins]

While Scholes, Vidic, Brown, and Rooney are indeed dirty, I would hardly refer to them as "brutal", as your headline implies. I'm sure Sir Alex will have them tone their game down for the sake of the EPL's image.

[Hassan]

Am I missing something? Let’s not mistake the readers of this blog for blind bats; anybody with the slightest appreciation for beautiful football knows full well that Manchester United play anything but the beautiful attacking football that is proliferated by the likes of Barcelona and, to a certain extent, Arsenal. Let’s get one thing straight: bar Arsenal, there is nothing beautiful about English football.

All credit to Manchester United, they’re probably as good as you get when it comes to counter attacking but there isn’t anything beautiful about giving the ball to Cristiano and watching him run like a Cheetah. If you really find that beautiful, you’ll find BBC’s Wildlife on 1 mesmerising.

[Nick]

I think the pitch will have a massive effect on the proceedings. You could argue that an uneven pitch would suit Chelsea however against Barnsley/Wigan they certianly didn't click!

Man united on the other hand seem to have gone off the boil in recent weeks so the high tempo, 'brilliant' attacking football which we have ocme to expect may not be forthcoming menaing that a tight, scrappy game might suit them as well.

United to win on penaltys

I don't think Chelsea can actually afford to play attacking football against Utd and the game may be duller than everyone expects.

[Mr David Roberts]

I think that the time has come for Chelsea to earn their place amoung Europe's elite and will win 2:1.
The goals will come from Drogba and Ballack for Chelsea,while Ronaldo will score for Man Utd.Chelsea,if they are serious,will need to run at Man Utd for the whole 90 mins and get Drogba as far forward,with J.Cole and Kalou pressing up with Drogba.It will be real in the trenches stuff,but i do not see extra time of penalties.

[Chuk]

I think the headline of this article, "beauty v's brutality", is quite misleading. Admittedly, I am a Chelsea fan but I feel Man Utd dont play beautiful football in the CL, as we have seen against Lyon, Roma and Barcelona. While Man Utd football in general is more asthetically pleasing than Chelsea's, it is grossly unfair to lable Chelsea's football as nothing but brutish. Michael Essien, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack are among the best midfielders in the world and I would think it is unlikey they are in that position without being technically adept. Man Utd, bar Cristiano Ronaldo, in my mind have players that are very similar to Chelsea in both style and talent, so lets hope it makes for a great game.

My parting comment is that I hope Cristiano Ronaldo does not play well or score, this may seem unfair but I dont agree with a player as selfish and as lazy as Ronaldo being considered the best in the world. For one I think Wayne Rooney is more important to the Man Utd cause.

[Dan]

Is that the free flowing attacking football that Man U. played against Barca in both the home and away legs all you Mancs are talking about? Class act? My A***!
The reality is that Chelsea have been the better side against Utd. CONSISTENTLY for the last 8-9years -Home and Away. Referees have helped to reduce the embarassing statistics for Utd. but Chelsea are perhaps the only team that Fergie fears.
Almost everyone would agree that the Blues have not had the best of seasons for one reason or another so to finish the PL a very close second would suggest that Utd. are not the all conquering heros they think they are.
Still - in fairness they have been the best team by far this year.

[Ryan]

I hope we see a free flowing game with goals. However I expect to see a Chelsea side that tries to drain Utd over 90 minutes and nick the odd goal along the way.
Hopefully this won't happen and United will win 3-1 proving that playing the beautiful game can conquer mundane defensive football.

[Jai Amin]

Manchester United will be champions of Europe this year, next year and the year after! United will make up for lost time, Sir Alex says that he believes in fate and fate holds that 50 years after the Munich disaster and 40 years after United's first triumph in Europe, they will be European Champions again come tomorrow night.

I expect a cagey affair in the first half, but perhaps an early goal for either side will set the tie alight and be the catalyst for a real humdinger. I also fully expect Ronaldo to be hugely influential as great players usually come to the party on the big occasions, as he has done many times this season despite the ignorant doubters.

United must be wary however, of the greatest striker in world football...Didier Drogba. Many people have suggested that Adebayor & Torres are the best forwards but neither are on Drogba's level just yet, and if Chelsea are to prevail he will surely be the reason. That is not to dismiss the threat of Lampard and Ballack, but I feel that the predictability of their play can be countered by the rigid defence of the Reds, whilst Drogba can generally produce goals from nothing and he will pose the biggest concern to Sir Alex.

Both sides will most likely set out in a 4-3-3 formation and when you compare the front three of United to Chelsea's, there is a huge difference in quality and quantity of performance particularly based on this years evidence. It is there where United hold the edge, and in previous seasons I would have had reservations about the Reds ability to breach the defense of the Blues but Terry is not the player he was in years past, although he is still an exceptional centre half there will certainly be a few lips licked in the United dressing room at the prospect of getting at the opponents. Coles' injury and the great possibility of Essien at right back also makes wide play from Ronaldo and Rooney an important factor and although Essien has proved to be effective wherever he plays on the pitch, his unquenchable desire to attack will leave gaps open for Ronaldo to exploit. Ashley Cole has generally had Ronaldo in his back pocket whenever he has played against him for Arsenal, Chelsea and England but Makelele's inexpicable two-footed horror lunge on the left back in training today may have put paid to Chelsea's hopes of shackling the greatest player in world football in the biggest match in world football. Bridge vs Ronaldo? No contest!

It promises to be a great battle, though one hopes it is nothing like the FA Cup Final of last year. United to win 3-1, United to complete a treble next year 10 years after their last, and Liverpool, Arsenal and of course Chelsea to bite the red dust for many years to come.

[Walti]

Chelsea will win, for sure. They´ve been expecting this game for 4 years. Their time has come.

[Walti]

Chelsea will win, for sure. They´ve been expecting this game for 4 years. Their time has come.