Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea: Chance for Last Hurrah Gives Edge to Blues

George Gipp doesn't play for Chelsea, but you'd be forgiven for thinking so by the sheer mass of people for whom the Blues will hope to claim victory in the UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich on Saturday.

There's John Terry, the controversial Chelsea skipper, who will be watching from the stands at the Allianz Arena while serving out his ban for kneeing Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez in the back.

There's Ramires, who accounted for a shock goal against the Blaugrana that returned the advantage to the Blues. He'll be sitting with Terry, as will Raul Meireles and Branislav Ivanovic, for picking up a second yellow card in the club's last Champions League tie.

On the pitch, there's the veteran trio of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole. This may be the last time these Stamford Bridge staples play together, with Drogba out of contract this summer and those of Lampard and Cole set to expire in 2013. All three were largely shuttered out of the lineup by short-lived manager Andre Villas-Boas, who was sacked in March.

And all three have returned to prominence for Chelsea since Roberto Di Matteo took over as caretaker manager. This, too, may be the final match on the touchline for Di Matteo, the pea-headed former Blues star. He figures to be let go by Chelsea brass this summer, regardless of Saturday's result, amidst the pursuit of a more high-profile manager.

Perhaps the players will attempt to win one for RDM too, then.

They'll also be playing for their European football lives. A sixth-place finish in the English Premier League all but guaranteed that Chelsea wouldn't return to the Champions League in the fall.

Unless, of course, they earn the right to defend their title by beating Bayern on Saturday.

If nothing else, the Blues will be playing for themselves, for the memory of Moscow and opportunities missed against Manchester United in 2008, and for the chance to hoist the European Cup and bask in the glory that comes with it.

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