Two former Chelsea managers are backing the Blues to finally end their long-wait for Champions League glory against Bayern Munich tonight.
Gianluca Vialli and Ruud Gullit both enjoyed successful spells in charge of the west London club with Vialli leading the Blues to only their second European trophy in 1998 with victory in the Cup Winners’ Cup.
The Italian also added the FA Cup and League Cup to the club’s trophy cabinet during his two years in charge having succeeded former team-mate Gullit, who was axed just nine months after leading Chelsea to the FA Cup.
Both men will be interested spectators this evening as their former side prepare to make their second appearance in Europe’s premier club competition in four years against Bayern.
Chelsea head into the match as slight underdogs against Bayern given that for only the fourth time in the tournament’s history a side reaching the final will play at their home stadium.
However, Vialli, a Champions League winner with Juventus in 1996, is confident the club’s long wait for glory on the game’s grandest stage will come to an end tonight.
To do so though he believes goalkeeper Petr Cech may have to paly the game of his life with Bayern’s must vaunted front three – Mario Gomez, Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery – all likely to start
“Its going to be a tight one but Chelsea can win it as long as Ceck [sic] is man of the match. He deserves it by the way.What a season!,” Vialli wrote on Twitter.
Gullit, meanwhile, who won the European Cup back-to-back in 1989 and 1990 with Milan has boldy predicted that Chelsea, minus skipper John Terry and influential midfielder Ramires through suspension, will triumph, keeping a clean sheet in the process.
“Tonights game prediction is 1-0 for #Chelsea,” he wrote on Twitter earlier today.
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