Gabriele Marcotti's Champions League keys to victory

1. Control the wide areas
When United don't have possession, it's essential that whoever is out wide tracks back to help Wes Brown and, especially, Patrice Evra.

The last thing Sir Alex will want is for the pair to be left one-on- one with Joe Cole or Solomon Kalou (or Florent Malouda). That's where United are vulnerable: unless, of course, they do what they did against Roma and deploy Park Ji Sung and and Wayne Rooney as adjunct fullbacks.

2. The Aerial Threat
In Didier Drogba, John Terry and Michael Ballack Chelsea have three of the best headers of the ball in the world. Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand more than hold their own in the air of course, but they'll need help.

3. Discipline
Lubos Michel may well be the best referee in Europe right now. He has no qualms about sending a player off if he deems it's the right decision to make, regardless of what minute the match is in. He knows to referee two English sides differently than he would, say, a Spanish team and an Italian team. And that means tough but fair challenges will be tolerated, histrionics will not.  And don't even think about treating him like any old Andy D'Urso.

4. The E-Factor
I'm probably in the minority here, but I think Michael Essien is the best player on the pitch at the Luzhniki (or, at least, the best player whose name does not end in a vowel). Every indication is that Avram Grant will play him at righback.  Great players can influence the game even from that unheralded position.  United will either hope he does not do so or figure out a way to stop him.

5. Smart substitutions
United have a few more effective options off the bench than Chelsea do, in the sense that throwing on Carlos Tevez or Owen Hargreaves or even Park Ji Sung (assuming none of these guys start) can change United's formation and style.  Chelsea's Plan B option largely involves bringing on a rightback and pushing Essien into midfield, sticking Nicolas Anelka up front alongside Drogba and opting for Route One or, possibly, hoping that Andriy Shevchenko, the forgotten man, regains his MoJo on the biggest stage of all.

Comments

[Samuel Lee]

Lorraine -

Maybe you should read Gab's article for SI.com. He gives the edge to United.

[Lorraine]

Please Gabriele Marcotti can't we have something a little bit more objective from a Chelsea fan. From what you write the only thing going in United's favour is the subs bench.

[Phil Daniels]

In all honesty, I haven't got a clue not a gut feeling about the outcome. There are many things to be said about the respective strengths and flaws of the two teams. However, United seem to be a closer group of players and a team with none of the evident uncertainties surrounding Chelsea (the manager, the future of players etc.). Perhaps most importantly, United play for Ferguson. And don't underestimate the ethos and history of the team, and the centrality of European Cup in that story. Chelsea have nothing like that to draw on.

Yeah, Micheal Essien might be the best player in the world right now and certainly a key figure for Chelsea this evening.