Reunion time

All the hot talk in football this side of the channel was about José Mourinho facing his old club Chelsea with his new one, Real Madrid, in the Champions League Final.  Less comment was made about Jupp Heynckes facing down Madrid, one of his previous employers, with his current ones Bayern Munich.  So instead of Mourinho winning three European Cups to draw level with Bob Paisley, Heynckes will have the chance to match Mourinho on two triumphs.  Were the German side successful, this would be their fifth success in the competition meaning they would become the fourth side to able to permanently retain the trophy (a new one will be cast) and at their home of the Allianz Arena to boot.  As Mourinho pointed out though, it is not such an advantage to be the first Champions League side to play the final at their own ground, for the seating for fans will be 50-50 (after officials have taken their cut). 

With the elimination of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Club Med feel of the quarter-finals has been replaced with the resurgence of Europe north of the Alps.  It has been more than a decade since a German club won the Champions League (Bayern themselves in 2001) and the fans of Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping that barren run comes to an end (the fourth spot in next season’s Champions League would otherwise go to Chelsea and third place would no longer guarantee entry automatically but become a pre-qualifier).

Heynckes will be able to offer caution to Roberto di Matteo in the event of an unlikely Chelsea victory.  He won ‘the cup with big ears’ with Madrid in 1998 but was sacked for finishing fourth, eleven points behind then La Liga winners Barcelona.  Di Matteo would be lucky to finish in that position only 20 points behind either Manchesters, City or United, in the Premier League for this campaign.