Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea Predictions: Surging Blues Set to Capture European Cup

When European football powerhouses Bayern Munich and Chelsea take to the pitch on Saturday in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final (2:45 PM ET, FOX), the drama will be Oscar-worthy, but in the end it will be the overachieving English side that captures its first ever European crown. 

Chelsea, who will be without world-class defender John Terry, is coming off a memorable performance against reigning UEFA CL champion Barcelona. Meanwhile, Bayern is lucky to be suiting up in its home stadium for all the marbles after escaping Real Madrid on penalty kicks in the semifinals. 

Both teams have uniquely different styles of play, and only one can and will prevail on Saturday. Let's take a closer look at why Chelsea will finally break through this weekend and capture its first UEFA Champions League crown in a mere two tries.

Defense

Even though Chelsea will miss Terry's presence on the pitch at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, they will defend with great confidence knowing that Petr Cech is behind them in goal. Cech has only conceded 11 goals and produced an astounding 52 saves in 12 UEFA CL starts this season.

Chelsea has also yet to concede a goal within the first 30 minutes of a UEFA CL match this season, which is a testament to their defensive style of play. The Blues will also create counterattacking chances off of their defense, thus allowing them to catch Bayern off guard and potentially score the games only goal.

Momentum

Chelsea's improbable run to the UEFA Champions League final has been anything but fluky. Their stifling defense held the world's best player in Lionel Messi scoreless through two full matches. Messi had 14 UEFA CL goals coming into the semifinals. 

Chelsea have never won a European Cup, falling in brutal fashion to Manchester United in their first and only UEFA CL final appearance in 2008 on penalty kicks. Their determination to end the club's drought has been evident over the past few months no question. Chelsea have not lost a UEFA CL match since a 1-3 drubbing in their first leg against Napoli in the Round of 16 back on February 21.

Didier Drogba

Neither team boasts a Ronaldo or Messi type of talent, but Chelsea's Didier Drogba is the player most likely to find the back of the net for the Blues on Saturday. Drogba has five goals on 22 shots in just six UEFA CL appearances this season. Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres each have three goals.

For Bayern, forward Mario Gomez will be the man most likely to break through.

Gomez has a remarkable 12 goals on 38 shots in 10 UEFA CL appearances. The loss of Brazilian Luis Gustavo in the midfield will hamper Bayern's attack slightly, but either way, they're pitted against a squad in Chelsea who will be content to defend for the life of the match. That mindset will ultimately ignite a counterattack or two capable of finding Drogba and creating a lead to sit back on.

Prediction: Chelsea 1, Bayern Munich 0

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