Manchester United-Chelsea: It Doesn't Get Any Bigger Than This!

There has been a lot of talk about the Champions League Final in Moscow, and both managers have resorted to all sorts of mind games. Avram Grant has said he won't even bother boarding the flight back to London unless he has the trophy with him.

He probably wouldn't need to. Roberto Mancini, the Inter Milan boss, has revealed he will join Chelsea if offered the job. Mancini's own job is set to be taken up by former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

It doesn't stop there. Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, Ricardo Carvalho, and Frank Lampard are all linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.

So Grant's not the only one with uncertainty about his future heading into Moscow.

The Blues have been linked with Deco, Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Aguero, Ricardo Quaresma, Micah Richards, Giovanni Dos Santos, Franck Ribery, Jesus Navas, and David Villa.

Needless to say, Roman Abramovich has a long wish list and he certainly has the money for it.

Manchester United have caught up with Chelsea's tag. The Red Devils have also started to be linked with a number of foreign players, including Daniel Alves, Deco, Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, and Luis Fabiano.

Meanwhile it is speculated that Louis Saha, Mikael Silvestre, Darren Fletcher, Lee Martin, Chris Eagles, and maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo will be on their way out of Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo recently said his future will be decided after the final and the shocking comment comes amidst rumours that Real Madrid are preparing a 99.5m pound bid for the Portuguese winger.

Controversy is the name of the game here.

Meanwhile, if Sir Alex Ferguson chooses to retire, he will certainly prefer two European trophies against his name; the last one came in the magical "treble" year of 1999.

If Fergie goes, Carlos Quieroz, Brian McClair, Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce, Frank Riijkard, and even Darren Ferguson could be his replacement.

The pitch at the Luzhinki Stadium was recently carpeted and is not in the best of shape.

I've got my ticket to the box ready and I hope the pitch doesn't play too big a role in deciding the outcome of the game.

If Manchester United vs Chelsea wasn't big enough as it is, how does it sound with European glory at stake?

Players to watch:

Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo has popped up with 41 goals this season, seven in Europe. Keep an eye out for him. Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez are the usual suspects. However, we believe Michael Carrick could play an influential role in the game. United's unsung hero might hit the spotlight at the right time. Also, beware of Patrice Evra on the break.

Chelsea

The limelight has graced Micheal Ballack and Didier Drogba. Ironically, the duo don't get along. Ballack and Drogba were reportedly involved in a deep-heated scuffle, which also involved Henk Ten Cate. We believe if Chelsea are to pull it off, Michael Essien and Joe Cole are hugely underrated, and need to shine when it matters most.

Salaar Shamsi writes for Soccernet, We Talk Football, Soccer-Digital, ESPN-World Sport and Bleacher Report.