UEFA Champions League Final from Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Internazionale vs Bayern Muchen SAT 2:45PM EST Live on FOX
Inter's Road to the final: (home club's score first)
Group Stage Match #1: vs Barcelona 0-0
GS #2: @ Rubin Kazan 1-1
GS #3: vs Dynamo Kyiv 2-2
GS #4: @ Dynamo Kyiv 2-1
GS #5: @ Barcelona 2-0
GS #6: vs Rubin Kazan 2-0
Round of 16: vs, @ Chelsea 2-1, 0-1
Quarter-finals: vs, @ CSKA Moskva 1-0, 0-1
Semi-finals: vs, @ Barcelona 3-1, 1-0
Bayern's Road to the final:
Group Stage Match #1: @ M. Haifa 3-0
GS #2: vs Juventus 0-0
GS #3: @ Bordeaux 1-2
GS #4: vs Bordeaux 0-2
GS #5: vs M. Haifa 1-0
GS #6: @ Juventus 1-4
Round of 16: vs, @ Fiorentina 2-1,3-2 (2-1 away goals)
Quarter-finals: vs, @ Manchester United 2-1, 3-2 (2-1 away goals)
Semi-finals: vs, @ Lyon 1-0, 0-3
Tomorrow, one of these two clubs will pull of a historic triple, as both have already won their domestic league and cup competitions. Likewise, former Real Madrid castaways, Bayern's Arjen Robben and Inter's Wesley Sneijder, have propelled each's seasons to this point and will now return to their former home stadium. Together, both teams have combined to take out European giants including Chelsea, Man Utd, and Barcelona.
What will decide this game is the defensive performances. Considering both team's forward lines, I expect at least 3 goals to be scored by the end of 90 minutes. This means that the defenses will have to resist all the pressure they can handle. I give the advantage to Inter's line up of Eto'o, Sneijder, and my boy Diego Milito who have been nothing short of incredible this season. I say this with an understanding that Bayern's attack, even without the over-rated Frank Ribery, is well capable of knocking in a handful of goals by the final whistle.
(My Prediction: 3-2 Internazionale)
One last quick, but very important note, it is my understanding that anything less than a win after 90 minutes (opposed to extra time or PK's) for the Serie A club will result the Bundesliga's leapfrog into 3rd place in UEFA's league coefficient rankings table. Why is this important? Only the top 3 European leagues are awarded 4 Champions League qualification spots, while the 4th league only receives 3 spots. To put this into perspective, the excellent race we just saw between Sampdoria and Palermo would mean nothing during next year's season. Not to mention, Italian clubs would miss out and some much needed financial revenue. So fans of calcio, whether you love 'em or hate 'em, we cheer for Inter for the common good.
Cheering for Bayern.
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