Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has now seen his team win almost every prize at stake in football but not the Champions League.
The Russian mogul has been craving for the coveted title ever since buying Chelsea in 2003.
Chelsea lost the final on penalties to Manchester United in 2008 and this evening they will have another chance to satisfy their owner when they play in the final again, this time against Bayern Munich at the Germans’ home ground, the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich have been crowned European champions on four occasions, thus.
1974 – Bayern beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 after a replay, 1-1.
1975 – Bayern beat Leeds 2-0.
1976 – Bayern beat St Etienne 1-0.
2001 – Bayern beat Valencia 4-1 on penalties after 1-1 draw.
Chelsea have met Bayern Munich only once in past encounters.
In season 2004-05, these two teams met in the quarter-finals of the competition.
After a 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge, the Blues lost their away tie 2-3 but advanced to the last four 6-5 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, interim Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo has received praise from various quarters after taking over from Andre Villas-Boas as he turned the side into match-winners and a force to reckon with again.
Earlier this month, Chelsea won the FA Cup after beating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley but they still have to win the ‘Big One’ to book their place in next season’s Champions League after finishing sixth in the Premier League.
Once again, UEFA have shunned the cries of most of its members not to announce beforehand the host venue of the final.
Most neutrals reckon that in future UEFA should decide at the semi-final stage.
This will be the fourth time that the UEFA Champions League final will be played at charted territory for one of the finalists with two of the previous verdicts going in favour of the ‘home’ side, as follows:
Rome (1996): Juventus beat Ajax 4-2 on penalties.
Munich (1997): Borussia Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1.
Wembley (2001): Manchester United lost to Barcelona 1-3.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s made sure that English clubs continue to dominate in the Euro competition, becoming the sixth team from the Premier League in the last seven years to reach the final.
2005: Liverpool beat Milan.
2006: Arsenal lost to Barcelona.
2007: Liverpool lost to Milan.
2008: Manchester United beat Chelsea.
2009: Manchester United lost to Barcelona.
2011: Manchester United lost to Barcelona.
Chelsea’s win over Barcelona in the semi-finals this year also meant the holders would fail to retain the title since its inception in 1993.
Chelsea’s results
Group matches: vs Bayer Lever-kusen (H) 2-0; Valencia (A) 1-1; Genk (H) 5-0; Genk (A) 1-1; Bayer Leverkusen (A) 1-2; Valencia (H) 3-0.
Standings: Chelsea 11; Bayer Lever-kusen 10; Valencia 8; Genk 3.
Second round: Napoli (A) 1-3; Napoli (H) 4-0.
Quarter-final: Benfica (A) 1-0; Benfica (H) 2-1.
Semi-final: Barcelona (H) 1-0; Bar-celona (A) 2-2.