Today the season's first final is going to take place, as Chelsea and Tottenham face-off at Wembley to determine the winner of the Carling Cup (otherwise known as the League cup). Most clubs downplay the Carling Cup's importance, but when you are in the final, the competition takes a different meaning altogether.
So far, Chelsea boss Avram Grant has been able to steady the ship, with only 3 defeats during his tenure. Now Chelsea are getting their sights on the ultimate achievement, the Quadruple. In addition to playing this final, they are also in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, have a good chance of reaching the Champions' League quarter-finals and if they win their game in hand, they will be only 6 points behind League leaders Arsenal. While its debate that whether the quadruple can be achieved, Chelsea certainly think that it can be done. Even when the African players went to the Africans' Nations cup and the likes of Lampard, Terry and Ballack were out injured, Chelsea still managed to grind out results. But now is the real test for Grant as he has a full squad to choose from. He has already said that there are no untouchables in his squad, and this statement is sure to displease some players.
This brings us to today's match. Will Grant start with Terry and Lampard? Will Anelka partner Drogba upfront? I feel Grant will go witha cautious 4-5-1, leaving out Terry and Lampard due to concerns over their match-fitness. I also think Anelka will have to do with a place on the bench, as Grant will prefer Drogba in a lone striker role.
Grant's nemesis today will be Tottenham's Juande Ramos, who has a fantastic record in cup competition, winning no less than four trophies with Sevilla (2 UEFA Cups, UEFA Super Cup and Copa Del Rey). He is growing as a coach with every match, and now he has worked his magic on a Tottenham side that was completely demoralised when he took-over. Now he has turned them into players who believe in themselves and are ready to give their 100% every time. They thrashed Arsenal in the Carling Cup semi-finals in both home and away, and even managed to outplay the champions Manchester United in the league. Ramos' new fitness and training programme has certainly paid great dividence.
On Spurs' team composition, I feel Ramos will go with his tried and tested 4-4-2 formation, with Bebatov and Keane continuing their lethal partnership up-front and pairing Woodgate and King in the heart of Spurs' defence. There is much speculation about who Ramos will pick as GK, but I think he will certainly start with Robinson after his blinder in the UEFA Cup.
In my opinion, the final is going to be quite entertaining. Spurs defence is not the best and they can't keep Chelsea out for 90 minutes. Ramos knows this too well, so he will ask his side to go after the Blues as this their only chance of getting a win. This will force Chelsea to launch attacks of their own. And, if there is an early goal, it will make the match even better. Although Chelsea are the firm favourites, I am going for an upset as this match means more for Tottenham than Chelsea and Ramos has got the winning formula when it comes to cup competitions.
Prediction: 2-1
So far, Chelsea boss Avram Grant has been able to steady the ship, with only 3 defeats during his tenure. Now Chelsea are getting their sights on the ultimate achievement, the Quadruple. In addition to playing this final, they are also in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, have a good chance of reaching the Champions' League quarter-finals and if they win their game in hand, they will be only 6 points behind League leaders Arsenal. While its debate that whether the quadruple can be achieved, Chelsea certainly think that it can be done. Even when the African players went to the Africans' Nations cup and the likes of Lampard, Terry and Ballack were out injured, Chelsea still managed to grind out results. But now is the real test for Grant as he has a full squad to choose from. He has already said that there are no untouchables in his squad, and this statement is sure to displease some players.
This brings us to today's match. Will Grant start with Terry and Lampard? Will Anelka partner Drogba upfront? I feel Grant will go witha cautious 4-5-1, leaving out Terry and Lampard due to concerns over their match-fitness. I also think Anelka will have to do with a place on the bench, as Grant will prefer Drogba in a lone striker role.
Grant's nemesis today will be Tottenham's Juande Ramos, who has a fantastic record in cup competition, winning no less than four trophies with Sevilla (2 UEFA Cups, UEFA Super Cup and Copa Del Rey). He is growing as a coach with every match, and now he has worked his magic on a Tottenham side that was completely demoralised when he took-over. Now he has turned them into players who believe in themselves and are ready to give their 100% every time. They thrashed Arsenal in the Carling Cup semi-finals in both home and away, and even managed to outplay the champions Manchester United in the league. Ramos' new fitness and training programme has certainly paid great dividence.
On Spurs' team composition, I feel Ramos will go with his tried and tested 4-4-2 formation, with Bebatov and Keane continuing their lethal partnership up-front and pairing Woodgate and King in the heart of Spurs' defence. There is much speculation about who Ramos will pick as GK, but I think he will certainly start with Robinson after his blinder in the UEFA Cup.
In my opinion, the final is going to be quite entertaining. Spurs defence is not the best and they can't keep Chelsea out for 90 minutes. Ramos knows this too well, so he will ask his side to go after the Blues as this their only chance of getting a win. This will force Chelsea to launch attacks of their own. And, if there is an early goal, it will make the match even better. Although Chelsea are the firm favourites, I am going for an upset as this match means more for Tottenham than Chelsea and Ramos has got the winning formula when it comes to cup competitions.
Prediction: 2-1
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