With all the talent on show, tonight's Champions League final could just be an all-time classic, and prove once and for all that English football is something to be proud of.
Manchester United and Chelsea go head to head in pursuit of the most sought-after prize in club football tonight at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at the heart of Russia.
This is the perfect moment for English football to showcase its true worth as the best league in the world in front of a global audience by living up to the hype surrounding this first all-English Champions League final.
The stage is set for the top two teams in England to prove that Euro 2008 will be boring without English involvement. Both teams possess massive English talents in Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole, John Terry and Frank Lampard. The tournament will be poorer for not having them in Austria and Switzerland this summer.
Most of the talk among fans and media alike is of who will win the game, but there are two sides to this clash. The first will see both clubs hoping to prove the English game is worthy of the very top level of football. The second is down to the fans. This is the perfect opportunity to shake off the world-renowned hooligan tag that still surrounds the English game.
Hopefully we'll wake up tomorrow to newspapers reports of fluid football and excitement and goals aplenty. This may sound outrageous but, given the wealth of talent in both teams, certainly not impossible. It will be good news especially if the English players shine and provide some sort of consolation to their countrymen for not being at the Euro finals.
A lot has been said of the chances both teams have of lifting the trophy, but for me it will be settled on two things: experience and tactics - and I believe both favour United.
They have reached the final twice - in 1968 and 1999 - and have gone on to win on both occasions. They have some current players who won the tournament in 1999 and that should prove a big help. Sir Alex Ferguson also has masses of European experience with both United and Aberdeen - something Avram Grant lacks.
As for tactics, I believe Chelsea would mount a better challenge with a better coach than the inexperienced Grant. The Blues always posed a threat to United when they squared up in the days of Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho. Both of those managers knew how to expose their opponents' weaknesses and turn them into their own strengths. I'm not so sure about Grant.
On an occasion like this you look to big-game players to prove their true worth and, as much as I hope I'm right about the English players doing their teams proud, I can't help feeling the stage is set for Cristiano Ronaldo to shine.
He has been criticised in the past for not producing on the big stage, but I believe this is the time for the Portuguese superstar to stick it to his critics once and for all. He's the top scorer in the tournament with seven goals, compared to Didier Drogba's six. And, as for not performing on the big stage, Ronaldo has ruined Roma with a stunning header and laid waste to Lyon with his dangerous crosses and passes.
United go into this game on a high after winning the Premier League, and they also disposed of the better teams on their way to the final in the shape of Barcelona, Lyon and Roma. Chelsea, meanwhile, were only really challenged by Liverpool.
In order for the Blues to emerge victorious they will need to unsettle the United defence and keep them on the back foot, cut out Ronaldo, make sure Drogba plays his usual physical game and ensure a free-running Joe Cole supported by Michael Ballack. Their problem is that if they try to push too much, I think the Red Devils will cut them to pieces on the counter-attack.
On the other side, United will need extra support for Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick in midfield - something I believe Hargreaves or Anderson could do admirably. As for the wide positions, I'd stick Ronaldo on the right and Nani on the left for the simple reason that they both have great penetration. Rooney and Carlos Tevez up front will provide an awesome striking partnership.
And let's not forget the referee will also have a part to play, especially if things flare up. He will need to cool it down cleverly and not throw around silly yellow cards.
With all that said, the time for talking is just about over. Now it is up to the 22 players on the pitch to answer the question of who will be the champions. I see United being crowned kings of Europe for the third time. Only time will tell if my prediction is true. Credit: www.sportingo.com
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