Manchester United go into today's Champions League final against Chelsea with the psychological advantage of having pushed the London club into the runners-up spot in the Premier League.

For the second successive season, United face Chelsea in a cup final as newly-crowned English champions and they will do all they can to ensure Chelsea do not mug them again.

Almost exactly a year after Chelsea shattered United's domestic double hopes by beating them in the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium, England's top two teams clash for the far bigger prize of the European Cup.

What a global television audience desperately needs to pray for though is that the match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium bears no relation to last year's tedious Wembley game in which little of note happened until Didier Drogba scored the only goal four minutes from the end of extra time.

A year on and there is still little to choose between the two teams and an equally close game is in prospect with both defences tough to break down.

Although United are capable of playing the more expansive and open football and have scored 109 goals in all competitions this season, a tight, evenly-balanced match looks likely. Chelsea prefer a more patient build-up with an incisive, dagger-like pass splitting open the opposition.

All that, of course, could be changed by an early goal or by a touch of genius from any of the outstanding talents on display.

Cristiano Ronaldo has spearheaded United's assault on the Premier League and Champions League this season with 41 goals in all matches.

Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez scored 57 of United's 80 league goals between them and have contributed 78 of the overall total.

No-one has been as prolific for Chelsea with Frank Lampard topping their scoring charts this season with 19 goals while Drogba had a relatively tame season with 15.

United will not under-estimate Chelsea's midfield threat, though, as Joe Cole and Michael Ballack, who could prove to be a key player in the game, are always capable of scoring.

Ballack, after a low-key first 18 months at the Bridge, has started to play superbly, as he proved against United three weeks ago when he scored both goals, one from the penalty spot, in their 2-1 home league victory.

United can provide goals from midfield too, of course, as Barcelona can testify after Paul Scholes's 25-metre screamer that decided their semi-final tie at Old Trafford last month.

The contrast between the teams is not confined to their styles of play; there could hardly be a greater contrast between the coaches.

Alex Ferguson has been in charge at United for nearly 22 years and has overseen 151 Champions League matches with them plus another 12 in the old European Cup with Aberdeen.

He has already won 28 trophies with United and first tasted European success with Aberdeen 25 years ago.

Chelsea coach Avram Grant has experience of 15 Champions League games - 11 with Chelsea and two each with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa - and has been in charge of Chelsea only since taking over from Jose Mourinho last September. He has yet to win his first trophy with the club.

United also take the baggage of their past with them to Moscow.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster that all but wiped out the Busby Babes team.

It took Matt Busby, who survived the crash, 10 years to re-build the club and his team, taking them to a first European Cup victory 40 years ago this month when they beat Benfica at Wembley Stadium.

Ferguson emulated Busby when he led United to their astonishing last-gasp triumph over Bayern Munich in Barcelona in 1999.

Chelsea would love to repay their Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich's investment in the club by winning European club soccer's greatest prize in his homeland.

If they end the day as European champions, losing the English title to United would be a disappointment they could easily accept.

Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).

Last 10 finals

1998 R. Madrid vs Juventus 1-0
1999 Man. Utd vs B. Munich 2-1
2000 R. Madrid vs Valencia 3-0
2001 B. Munich vs Valencia 1-1 (Bayern won 5-4 on penalties)
2002 R. Madrid vs B. L'kusen 2-1
2003 Milan vs Juventus 0-0 (Milan won 3-2 on penalties)
2004 Porto vs Monaco 3-0
2005 Liverpool vs Milan 3-3 (Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties)
2006 Barcelona vs Arsenal 2-1
2007 Milan vs Liverpool 2-1
2008 Chelsea vs Man. Utd

Facts and figures: Today's final in Moscow

• Today's all-English final will be the third same-country final in the Champions League following the all-Spanish clash between Real Madrid and Valencia in Paris in 2000, which Real won 3-0, and the all-Italian match between Milan and Juventus in Manchester in 2003 which Milan won 3-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

• Today's final will be the 53rd since the competition started in 1955-56 and England are guaranteed an 11th success, bringing them level with Italy and Spain as the most successful countries. They will also win a 29th success in the three European club competitions, equalling Spain's record.

• It is the fourth successive season that England have been represented in the final following Liverpool's success in 2005, Arsenal's defeat in 2006 and Liverpool's defeat last season.

• Moscow will be staging the Champions League final for the first time, nine years after it staged the UEFA Cup final between Parma and Marseille which the Italians won 3-0.

• United manager Alex Ferguson will become the 16th man to win the European Cup more than once if United triumph, following his success in 1999. He would also set a record of winning longevity in European club competition - he won his first European trophy, the Cup Winners' Cup, with Aberdeen in 1983.

• He will become, at 66, the second-oldest man to win the trophy if United triumph. The oldest is Belgian Raymond Goethals who was 71 when Marseille won in 1993.

• Chelsea coach Avram Grant would become the first Israeli, either as a coach or player, to win the European Cup. Chelsea defender Tal Ben-Haim would become the first Israeli to be on the winning team if he plays.

• Six players in the two squads will be looking to win the European Cup with a second club. United's Edwin van der Sar won it with Ajax in 1995 while Owen Hargreaves won it with Bayern Munich in 2001.

• Chelsea's four previous winners are Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira (both Porto 2004), Andriy Shevchenko (Milan 2003) and Claude Makelele (Real Madrid 2002).

• Ryan Giggs will beat Bobby Charlton's all-time club appearance record of 758 matches for United if he plays and could also win the trophy for a second time. He and Gary Neville were in United's winning 1999 team while Wes Brown was a non-playing substitute. Paul Scholes, who is expected to play today, was suspended in 1999.

• Today's match will be the third major final between the two clubs. Manchester United beat Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup final in 1994 while Chelsea beat United 1-0 in last season's FA Cup final.

• Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, of Manchester United, and Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Shaun Wright-Phillips, of Chelsea, have all played at the Luzhniki Stadium this season for England. Rooney gave England a first-half lead against Russia in a Euro 2008 qualifier on Oct. 17, but Russia ended 2-1 winners.

• If Chelsea triumph they would be the first club from London to win the European Cup.

• London's old Wembley Stadium staged more finals than any other ground, hosting the finals of 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978 and 1992. Paris has also staged five finals but at different stadiums.

European Cup winners

9 - Real Madrid
7 - Milan
5 - Liverpool
4 - Bayern Munich, Ajax
2 - Barcelona, Benfica, Juventus, Inter, Man. Utd, N. Forest, Porto
1 - Celtic, Hamburg, S. Bucharest, Marseille, Feyenoord, Aston Villa, PSV, Red Star, B. Dortmund