Why Manchester United should win...They have quite simply been the best team in Europe this season. When Juventus reached the Champions League final in 2003, they lost five times en route to the showpiece at Old Trafford. Manchester United made it to Moscow unbeaten.
Starter: Paul Scholes has been promised he will play in Moscow
They cruised through their group and, compared to Chelsea, their path to the final was far more difficult - Lyon, Roma and Barcelona, - as against Olympiakos, Fenerbahce and Liverpool. And only the French champions, in the first leg at the Stade Gerland, appeared genuinely to trouble them.
They are a side that can genuinely score from almost any position, whether it be Nemanja Vidic at set pieces, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Nani from midfield or a forward line of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.
And this is without mentioning the name of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has the grandest of all stages to prove his claim to be the world's best player.
Manchester United are not just the most naturally-attacking unit in the Champions League, they are the most solid defensively, a happy blend of Barcelona up front and Bayern Munich in defence.
They have not conceded so much as a goal in their last five Champions League matches, which represents 450 minutes of keeping Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o, Mirko Vucinic and Karim Benzema at bay.
Does Didier Drogba fancy himself to do any better?
Manchester United also have the psychological advantage. Chelsea may have beaten them at Stamford Bridge, but Manchester United have won over 38 Premier League games. When the two team buses make their way to the Luzhniki, there will be one set of footballers who will be burdened by the knowledge that they could end the season with nothing. Finally, there is a question of karma, of destiny. Every player who walks on to the Luzhniki's relaid surface in red will know the significance of what happened in Munich half a century ago. Winning the European Cup would not only be a just reward for a wonderfully-conducted campaign, it will also honour the dead.
Why Chelsea should win...
The bookmakers are rarely wrong, but the most recent form surely suggests that it is Chelsea and not Manchester United who could be considered narrow favourites for Wednesday's Champions League final. Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United have all lost their most recent matches against a Chelsea team that, through chance as well as planning, has gathered form and momentum as the season has progressed.
Influential: Michael Ballack will dictate the play from midfield
For the Premier League it was just too late but, in Europe, the timing looks perfect. Injuries, suspensions and unavailability because of the African Cup of Nations may have proved costly domestically, but now look like a possible blessing in disguise. It has meant that the core of the Chelsea team have arrived in Moscow today at the absolute peak of their fitness. The likes of John Terry, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have missed periods of the season and arrive with the healthy balance of match form allied to freshness.
For the Premier League it was just too late but, in Europe, the timing looks perfect. Injuries, suspensions and unavailability because of the African Cup of Nations may have proved costly domestically, but now look like a possible blessing in disguise. It has meant that the core of the Chelsea team have arrived in Moscow today at the absolute peak of their fitness. The likes of John Terry, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have missed periods of the season and arrive with the healthy balance of match form allied to freshness.
The contrast with last season is obvious, when the squad was clearly running on empty during the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool. Chelsea, one suspects, are the team that United would probably have least wanted to face in a one-off match. Their spine is utterly formidable and, as Sir Alex Ferguson has acknowledged, can be argued to contain more experience. From front to back, just about the entire team contains enormous international or Champions League pedigree.
The question is whether they can match the wonderfully fluid movement of Ferguson's team.
United stand on the brink of greatness, while Chelsea will be fired up by the pain of narrowly losing the Premier League, as well as three Champions League semi-finals in the space of four years.
There is also a sense that this could be the final chance for the current group of players.
It would be some way to crown four unprecedented seasons of silverware and success
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