Battle for supremacy

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Move over Gayle and Sehwag, the football frenzy has already descended and the youngsters in the city are extremely excited about the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. This has been a rather eventful season by all means — the legendary coach Pep Guardiola quitting Barcelona, Lionel Messi’s penalty miss and an English team pitted against one of the greatest football clubs ever.

While footy fans are thrilled to bits about this unprecedented face-off set to take place in Allianz Arena, Chelsea sealing a place in the final is still the surprise element. After having clinched the FA Cup final against Liverpool on Saturday, the morale is certainly high among fans. Yet, they do admit the UEFA is another ball game altogether. Student Arjun Ramamurthi, a die-hard Chelsea fan says, “It was the most unbelievable thing I’ve seen! I was completely shocked. It was not until the 80th minute that I began to believe Chelsea might actually win this game against Barcelona.” Market researcher Ashley Furtado adds, “No one expected an English team to play alongside Bayern. I think Chelsea have really improved their game over time. They played to Barca’s weaknesses. If they use the same strategies, they might be able to claim the UEFA too.”

Not many know this, but UEFA is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. Teams prepare round the year and the title is a highly coveted one. Apart from the teams, there are several players who are the cynosure of attention on the field too. Senior software engineer Suhas U says, “I’m rooting for Bayern. I think this game is going to be a close call. It could swing in favour of anyone. Mario Gomez versus David Luiz and Micheal Essien versus Bastian Schweinsteiger are going to be epic face-offs!” Arjun adds, “Depending on who starts the game, I want to see how Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba fare on the field too.”

Ardent fans admit that this is a one-off game and it’s not fair to judge other teams on the basis of this one league season. Trainee chartered accountant Rohit CD says, “This is a one-off final, and definitely unprecedented. Bayern does have a slight edge here but the match could go anyway. If Chelsea pulls this off, they will assert themselves very strongly over other clubs like Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Either way, this is going to be one legendary match to watch.”