Duncan Castles The Observer:

”With key members of Avram Grant's side set to depart, Wednesday marks their last chance to deliver the trophy the club crave.”

”Great football teams win grand trophies, and without a Champions League on the collective CV, a side's success is irritatingly insular. That this Chelsea team is one of England's finest ever should be beyond argument, the premise: two League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup over four seasons in which they have remained unbeaten in home League matches, setting a Premier League season high for points claimed (95) and a low for goals against (15). The European Cup, though, has always raised an objection, be it a Liverpool 'ghost' goal or a moment of Barcelona elan.”

”On Wednesday comes one last chance to complete the circle of silverware before this Chelsea team breaks up. Manchester United in Moscow will be the final game in blue for its spearhead.” 

Obi Mikel: 

“This will be a very, very tactical game, believe me. Its not going to be as exciting as people think its going to be. Its just going to be a tactical game, seriously, because both teams know that no one is going to come out, you have to sit and wait and wait and wait for your opportunity. In Champions League finals, you know that any mistake can cost you the game. “

”Some people say they dont like Chelsea because of the sort of football we play, or maybe because we have so many big players and the money the club pays for them but that is the way Abramovich wants his clubs to be.”

”Its his money, not anyone elses and when you have money, no one should tell you what to spend it on. Abramovich puts his money where he wants it to be. We all love him. Of course we love him. He is a nice man and he comes into the dressing-room or to the training ground and he talks to everybody. He asks about my family and if everything is okay with them. Sometimes, he also plays football with his friends next to where we are training. It is good to see that. “

”By reaching the final, we have one hand on the cup and now we have to go out there and make sure we put two hands on it and lift it. We have to go out there and make sure its a do-or-die game.”

 

Petr Cech: 

“I think you can say - not only for me - it is the biggest game of our careers.” 

"We played in many games of the Champions League, or European Championships, but the final is something special. The worst is to lose the final. Never, never does anyone remember the losers. Who is enjoying to say, "Yeah I was in the final", if you don't win it? In the end you've got the same as the people who lost the group stages. The final, it's a great achievement in itself but it will never be remembered.”

”It always depends on how your opponent plays and what your opponent lets you do.” “We put them under pressure and they couldn't play at Stamford Bridge because we didn't allow them to play - that wasn't a case in the other games. Maybe some teams are really aware of their attacking threat, but we put them under pressure because they are not really used to playing under pressure from their opponents.”

Sir Alex Ferguson: 

“He's (Grant) been there less than a season and he's got them to a Champions League final - There's a lot of clubs would give a manager a 10-year contract for doing that, it's not something just anyone can do.”

'It couldn't have been easy taking over from Mourinho in mid-season.  Now he's in a Champions League final. Jesus Christ! He's done exceptionally well for a manager in his first season and Chelsea are still a very hard team to beat.”

Michael Ballack: 

“It's different at Chelsea to anywhere else I have played.  We have six captains from national teams in our side as well as quite a few top internationals. It goes without saying that everyone is forced to show some restraint so as not to jeopardise our success. But you have to face the challenge. You have to make people sit up and take notice of you otherwise you go under in a team like this, you're devoured by the machine. And so I've become more ruthless.”

”Our style of play is different to that of Manchester United, our game has a tremendous energy. With a bit of fine-tuning to our team then things would look good for the next couple of years. As a team we're still in a development stage.”

Avram Grant:

"He (Abramovich) congratulated everyone; he respected what we did this season.  Roman had wanted to come to the last games. He knows everything about this club. We are always happy to see him."

"It has been our target to get to the Champions League final but, now we are there, we want to win it.  The league was never for one minute in our hands. The players have given everything and in the last months we have played good football. But we have dreamed about the Champions League final and it's a game we want to win."

Bruce Buck, Chelsea FC Chairman:

"When Jose Mourinho left and Avram took over we never would have imagined that we would be where we are now. We owe thanks to our entire management and coaching staff, playing staff and backroom staff for what we have achieved."

Joe Cole: 

"Ronaldo's been fantastic but in the semi-final Messi showed he's the top man.  He is only 20 as well, imagine how good he will be in the next 10 years."

"If we could sign him, I'd love to play alongside him.” 

Graeme Souness: 

“I'm sure it will be a tight, cautious game. I played in three European Cup finals with Liverpool and not one of them was a good game. I know the pressures these occasions can exert on players, the levels of expectation and the fear factor.”

“Both teams have plenty of exceptional players, but for me the two men who will prove decisive are Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo. How to stop them? Easier said than done.”

“Ronaldo is almost unstoppable. He falls into that class of player that, in the mood, is unplayable. In that sense he is like Lionel Messi, his Brazilian namesake Ronaldo and Thierry Henry in their pomp.”

“As a manager I was often faced with the dilemma of how to stop Henry and there are similarities between the two. You must think a few steps ahead and anticipate the space the player will occupy. So with Henry, I would always make sure my right-back did not cross the halfway line because Henry liked drifting out to the left flank, especially when we had the ball. Then, when Arsenal won it back, he would be in position, ready to cut in and across. Chelsea will have to track Ronaldo, making sure that he does not get in behind the full-backs.”

“While Chelsea think about Ronaldo, United will be looking at ways to tame Drogba.  Drogba is superb. If you asked the Premiership's centre-halves which striker they least liked to play against, I would guarantee they would say Drogba. He will give you all sorts of problems. He's got terrific pace and he's extremely powerful. Yet if you take him on physically he throws himself to ground.  From set-pieces he can even be Chelsea's best defender.”

“I would be worried about my centre-backs getting preoccupied with taking on Drogba in a physical battle.  Rio Ferdinand's pace will allow him to race Drogba over the top but he must leave the physical contest to Vidic. It will be a riveting one to watch.”

Ricardo Carvalho:

“We have television in the changing room and when we see some news items about the Champions League, we Portuguese players talk to the others about it. "See that cup? I've already lifted it, I've already won it. You would like to, wouldn't you?" Just teasing. Fortunately, I have trophies some do not win in their whole careers.”

Derick Allsop:

“He may have shrouded his future in uncertainty this week, yet Cristiano Ronaldo is unequivocal on one issue: "I am the best." Like Ali, he is in his own class.”

“Ronaldo was overshadowed by Barcelona's Lionel Messi in the semi-final of the Champions League and could finish second best in Moscow and Switzerland/Austria to Chelsea's Michael Ballack.”

Contract talks Totals for likely starting line-ups on Wednesday (All weekly wages estimated)

Manchester United: £862,000
Average: £78,000

Chelsea: £947,000
Average: £86,000

Cristiano Ronaldo:

"I scored two times against Arsenal, I scored against Liverpool. I score against every team in England. I am very happy with my season. I scored 31 League goals. I don't need to show anything to anyone. I win every award. I need to prove nothing.”

"When I hear people say that it does not annoy me because I know I am the best. This is why I am not angry. I don't care, to be honest."

"Of course if I can play very well against Chelsea in the Champions League final and win the individual award it would be good. But I don't think too much about that. I have never won the Champions League and I am very excited to have the chance."

"The best teams are in the final. It will be quite a difficult game because Chelsea play very well. They are strong and experienced, but I think we have a good team, as well. Most of the players have never played in a Champions League final. We won the Premier League so our motivation is higher and we have a great chance."

Nemanja Vidic:

“Sometimes he [Drogba] goes in very strong and sometimes he pretends he is weak. He plays with your mind and tries to make the defender think about the next tackle.”

“He can pretend he fell down to win a penalty, but referees know that. The Champions League final is a big game and I’m sure the ref will know his job.”

“He’s a great player and he’s a top scorer. It’s a hard job to stop him.” Drogba’s knee caught Vidic in the head while challenging for possession, but Vidic said: “He went for the ball and I don’t think he wanted to kick me. It’s in the past and I don’t think about what happened in the past.”

“In the past four months I’ve had two concussions and that’s not good.  I don’t protect myself. I leave myself too open for players to kick me or hurt me - I’m not saying they want to – it just happens – but maybe I need to work on my protection. I put my head in, but don’t also put my elbows and hands in to protect myself. I want to win the ball and don’t care how and maybe because of that I get hurt.”

“I never feel afraid.  Nobody has ever died on the pitch because of a challenge. Everyone puts me among the hardest players, and says forwards when they play me need to protect themselves, but that’s not true. I don’t try to hurt people and I don’t want to go around saying I’m tough. I go in aggressive, yes, and try to win every ball, but I’m not anything special.”

Paul Wilson, The Observer:

”Anyone with any sense could see an all-English Champions League final was bound to happen sooner or later, and might happen again and again as long as the Premier League continues to generate enough money to attract the top players from around the world.”

“Ruthless is a good word to describe Chelsea, who bought Ballack when they did not appear to need him and have turned a luxury purchase who had a lacklustre first season into a vital and driven performer.” 

“United waited 13 years for their first Champions League final under Ferguson and another nine years for their second. Chelsea won't be waiting around that long, whatever the result on Wednesday. Ruthless is what United are not, otherwise Ferguson would not be promising Paul Scholes a game and fretting about which substitutes to leave out. The old order meets the new order in Moscow, and you could hardly pick a better venue for a revolution.”

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