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Call it the season of first-timers and wait for the result of today's epic UEFA Champions League final before you make your conclusion as Premier League kings, Manchester United go to battle against arch-rivals, Chelsea in Moscow.
…As Chelsea lock horns with Man Utd in UEFA Champions League final
Call it the season of first-timers and wait for the result of today's epic UEFA Champions League final before you make your conclusion as Premier League kings, Manchester United go to battle against arch-rivals, Chelsea in Moscow.
As Chelsea file out in their first final in the competition, Nigeria's midfielder, John Mikel Obi, will also be making his debut appearance in the last duel of the event.
The 2007/08 European football season marks the first season in the competition's history when four teams from the same country had to play in the quarterfinal stage following the progressions of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United to the stage.
Chelsea reached the Champions League final for the first time in their history. And for the first time in the Champions League history, none of the English teams got eliminated by a non-English team. Arsenal were eliminated by Liverpool, while Chelsea, who face Man United today in the final eliminated Liverpool.
Today's final is the first all-English final in the history of the European Cup and the third final between two teams from the same country. The others were in 2000 between Real Madrid and Valencia, where Real won 3-0 in Paris and 2003 between Juventus and AC Milan, where Milan won after penalty shootouts at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Manchester United's victory over Roma in the second leg of the quarterfinal was their 11th successive home win. The have surpassed Juventus' record of 10, which was set between the 1995-96 and 1997-98 seasons. They subsequently extended the run of home victories to 12 with 1-0 defeat of Barcelona in the semi-final.
The same three English sides - Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United - played in the semi-finals for the second season in a row. The only team that were not in the previous season's semi-finals were Barcelona. This semi-final line-up meant that there would be an English team in the final for the fourth season in a row.
Meanwhile, Mikel had promised that Chelsea would go all out to beat Manchester United to lift the Cup today.
For the second season in a row, Chelsea were pipped to the Premier League title by Manchester United.
Chelsea bounced back from last season's misery by claiming an FA Cup final win over United and a quirk of fate has handed them the chance again.
This time, the prize is bigger - the Champions League final in Moscow and Mikel is keen to end the season on high.
'We know what happened last year when United won the league, but we beat them in the FA Cup final," said Mikel. 'Now, we need to repeat that.
'We have to keep working hard and make sure that Moscow is a whole different ballgame.
'United have won the title so, we have to go there and win the Champions League. It's going to be a do-or-die battle, but we have to win. We know we are good enough to win in Russia, but we have to work real hard.
'Man U are a very good side; we all know that, but we have to wait and see what happens in the final. I think we will win it."
Mikel also defended Chelsea's financier, saying there's nothing wrong with the way Roman Abramovich runs the club.
Abramovich has been criticised for putting increasingly rare appearances at Stamford Bridge as it's believed the Chelsea owner has become frustrated by the absence of the combination of successful and attractive football, which he has spent big in a bid to achieve.
Chelsea have won two Premier League titles and have also sampled individual successes in the FA Cup and League Cup since Abramovich bought over the club in 2003, but it's understood that the ultimate goal is the UEFA Champions League.
And having reached the final this season, Mikel is hoping to repay the investment of Abramovich, who visited the club's dressing room as they missed out on the Premier League title last weekend, with a victory against Manchester United in Moscow today.
"Roman Abramovich is the man," Mikel was quoted by the Mirror. "It's his club. He can say, you, leave or you, stay, so we have to respect his decisions. He's the boss and whatever he does for the team, I think he's doing it for the best interest of Chelsea.
"Abramovich puts his money where he wants it to be. If he wants to buy whatever, it's his money. I don't see why people should criticise him for spending his money on what he wants. He has the money to spend so, why not?
"He comes into training and kicks the ball around with some of his friends sometimes. He always finds time to say hello and ask how your family is doing and if you are happy about everything. There's nothing to dislike about him.
"He came into the dressing room last Sunday and seemed very happy. He shook hands with everyone, sat down and spoke to the players. He's a nice man and hopefully, we can bring him the Champions League."
Mikel also insists that Chelsea are unconcerned about the fact that they're unpopular with some football followers due to their approach to the game.
"Some people say they don't like Chelsea because of the way we play and because of the players we have, because we pay so much money for players," added Mikel.
"But as long as we are winning, we are doing our best and I think we are going the right way."