Defeat will ruin Chelsea, says Ribery
BAYERN Munich star Franck Ribery has heaped pressure on Chelsea ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League final, claiming the Blues would struggle to recover from another near miss in the competition Roman Abramovich prizes highest.
The success or failure of Chelsea’s season – and perhaps manager Roberto di Matteo’s position – rests on whether they can muster an improbable European victory against the Bavarian giants on their turf at the Allianz Arena.
It may also represent a last chance for some of the west London side’s stalwarts, such as Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, to lift the one major trophy to elude them since owner Abramovich’s revolution in 2003.
Wounds remain raw from the heartache of four years ago, when they lost the final on penalties to Premier League rivals Manchester United, and Ribery believes more anguish could wreak colossal psychological damage.
“Abramovich has wanted to win the Champions League for so long,” said the France winger. “If they lose it on Saturday then it will be brutally tough. It would ruin them in the head and really lower morale.
“We are definitely not thinking about losing. If you lose then you are distraught. If we win the Champions League then we can forget about not winning the league or cup this year. Nobody would care about that anymore.”
Bayern’s campaign also hinges on this clash, with a wounding 5-2 defeat to Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund in the German cup final leaving this their only chance to avoid a second consecutive barren season.
For Chelsea, upsetting the first team to play a Champions League final in their own stadium represents their only route into next year’s competition, having fallen two places short of a domestic top four finish.
They have already defied the odds to overcome Barcelona with a masterclass in tenacity capped by a glorious night at Camp Nou, but Bayern’s former Blues winger Arjen Robben has warned that pragmatic approach will not work again.
“We expect them to be very defensive and tight, but we have played often against such sides and we have just got to try to find a way through. We have got to try and take the game to them,” said the Holland forward.
“I saw their semi-final against Barcelona and they did well in a defensive capacity – you could say they parked the bus in their own area.
“But I have to disappoint them because they are not going to win it.”
Both teams will be severely depleted by suspensions, with Chelsea missing captain John Terry, fellow defender Branislav Ivanovic and midfielders Raul Meireles and Ramires. Centre-backs David Luiz and Gary Cahill are, however, set to be fit following injury.
Bayern, who overcame Barcelona’s Spanish arch-rivals Real Madrid in the last four, are without defensive trio Holger Badstuber, David Alaba and Luiz Gustavo.
EUROPEAN SHOWDOWN SET TO HAVE SEISMIC IMPACT ON CAPITAL
Tomorrow’s result is not just about Chelsea; Tottenham fans will also be watching through their fingers at a match that looks sure to have a profound and far-reaching impact throughout London. Here’s why:
European competition
■ Chelsea have been Champions League ever-presents throughout the Abramovich era but winning the competition is their last hope of preserving that record. Defeat would see them enter the Europa League instead as FA Cup winners
Manager
■ Roberto di Matteo may be shipped out whether he wins or not, but would be harder to shift if he became the first Chelsea manager to lift the trophy
Players
■ A sixth-place finish in the Premier League and an ageing squad are likely to mean a busy summer regardless
European competition
■ Victory for Bayern will propel Spurs into next term’s Champions League, although they will have to negotiate a play-off. Chelsea glory would render their fourth-placed finish worthy only of another Europa League campaign
Manager
■ Harry Redknapp’s position looks secure but might a failure to rejoin Europe’s elite competition prompt a re-evaluation by him or club?
Players
■ The real worry for Tottenham is that stars Gareth Bale and Luka Modric will be lured away if Champions League football slips out of reach. It would also make targets, such as Ajax’s Jan Vertonghen, harder to attract