Another thrilling UEFA
Champions League season is set to culminate in fitting fashion on
Saturday, when FC Bayern München take on Chelsea FC in the final at
their very own Fußball Arena München. UEFA.com's team of reporters in
Munich and across Europe provide you all the latest news, views and
interviews as we count down to kick-off in the biggest fixture in the
European club calendar.
All times CET.
Friday 12.21, Laurent Morel, UEFA futsal manager, Olympiapark
The futsal day at the UEFA Champions Festival is a great occasion, filled with activities. We have key clinics with the kids, we have open play for the public and an exhibition match with two German futsal clubs. Then we have the skills clinics with Ricardinho, where kids will try to imitate what the Brazilian does with a futsal ball, and other top players like Cafu, Steve McMananman, Christian Karembeu and Patrik Andersson are present.
This is brilliant for futsal, as we're right at the very top of European football today. For the whole futsal community it is great to be considered as the 'little brother' of football and to be here at the festival in Munich.
Friday 12.07, Andrew Haslam, Fußball Arena München
Bayern are the first team to play a European Cup final in their home stadium since 1984, and they will hope for a better outcome than AS Roma, beaten on penalties by Liverpool FC in the Stadio Olimpico 28 years ago. The German club would doubtless prefer to look further back, to FC Internazionale Milano's 1965 triumph at their San Siro home or Real Madrid CF's defeat of ACF Fiorentina at the Santiago Bernabéu eight years earlier.
Bayern would become only the third team to win the UEFA Champions League in their own country after Juventus (1996, final in Rome) and Borussia Dortmund (1997, final in Munich) while Manchester United FC lost last year's final to FC Barcelona in London. In European Cup terms, United (1968, London), AFC Ajax (1972, Rotterdam), Liverpool (1978, London) have won finals in their own country while Stade de Reims (1956, Paris) and Barcelona (1986, Seville) lost finals on home soil.
Friday 11.51, UEFA.com London newsdesk
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has pinpointed the catalyst in the Blues' excellent finish to a season that has already featured an FA Cup final win against Liverpool FC. "We were struggling in Naples," conceded Lampard, in an interview with The Telegraph. "I was sitting watching and I could see that. We were very despondent in the dressing-room afterwards. We knew we were better than that. We all had to improve."
"It took a big effort from everybody in the weeks between the Napoli games to turn things around," he added. "The home game was obviously the major turning point in our season."
With defender John Terry suspended for tomorrow's showpiece, Lampard will lead the team out as captain in Munich. "It will be my proudest moment," he said. "The season has turned around personally but not quite to the full extent yet. We need to win the final."
Friday 11.33, UEFA.com London newsdesk
Chelsea players might have a tight schedule ahead of the final but Juan Mata still found time earlier to share his thoughts on Twitter. The Spanish international tweeted:
@juanmata10: Arriving at the airport, on our way to Munich...with our dream closer! #CFC @chelseafc #ChampionsFinal
Friday 11.22, Andrew Haslam, Fußball Arena MünchenThere is a little over one and a half hours to go until the first of the day's two press conferences, with Bayern due to address the media at 13.00, and there are plenty of members of the press here collecting their accreditations for today and tomorrow night. In fact, owing to the high numbers, the photographers' booth actually opened its shutters 30 minutes early this morning to ease some of the congestion.
Friday 11.05, Kevin Ashby, UEFA Champions Festival
The festival enters its third day today and is again likely to attract huge numbers of fans to the expansive site at the Olympiapark. Josh Hershman (@UEFAcomJoshH) and Andy James (@UEFAcomAndyJ) are on hand to post updates on the various events taking place, including quotes from any footballing figures present.
On that note, former Bayern stars Willy Sagnol and Giovane Elber have answered users' tweets in the last couple of days with Steffi Jones and Celestine Babayaro the first participants in UEFA.com Google+ hangouts.
Today's social media activity sees two more European champions, former Real Madrid CF midfielders Steve McManaman and Christian Karembeu, answer your questions via Twitter and ex-Chelsea FC defender Graeme Le Saux step into the hangout hotseat.
Send questions via Twitter using #AskMcManaman and #AskKarembeu, and join our Google+ page to be in with a chance of putting your questions live to Le Saux.
Friday 10.55, Kevin Ashby, UEFA Champions FestivalLast night's UEFA Women's Champions League final attracted a record crowd in excess of 50,000 as Olympique Lyonnais defeated 1. FFC Frankfurt 2-0 to retain their title.
The Olympiastadion was hosting its first football match since Bayern departed seven years ago and the name of Camille Abily can now be added to the list of players including Gerd Müller, Trevor Francis, Marco van Basten, Basile Boli and Lars Ricken to have scored famous final goals at the iconic stadium.
For the first time since the FIFA Women's World Cup, women's football features on the front page of French sportspaper L'Equipe this morning. Under a huge picture of the team celebrating, the headline reads: 'They are magic'.
Friday 10.45, UEFA.com London newsdesk
Andrew Haslam (@UEFAcomAndrewH) and Graham Hunter (@UEFAcomGrahamH) will provide you with live updates throughout the day – paying particular attention to Bayern's press conference at 13.00 and Chelsea's address to the media at 17.45 – from the Fußball Arena München, which will have a 62,500 capacity for tomorrow's game.
Here are a few other morsels of information to get you going this morning:
Before the day's business gets under way, a gentle reminder that there are a number of ways to win great prizes with UEFA.com, including Predictor, Player Rater, and Classics. For now, though, UEFA.com's match background and final press kit provide all the facts, records and history you need.
All times CET.
Friday 12.21, Laurent Morel, UEFA futsal manager, Olympiapark
The futsal day at the UEFA Champions Festival is a great occasion, filled with activities. We have key clinics with the kids, we have open play for the public and an exhibition match with two German futsal clubs. Then we have the skills clinics with Ricardinho, where kids will try to imitate what the Brazilian does with a futsal ball, and other top players like Cafu, Steve McMananman, Christian Karembeu and Patrik Andersson are present.
This is brilliant for futsal, as we're right at the very top of European football today. For the whole futsal community it is great to be considered as the 'little brother' of football and to be here at the festival in Munich.
Friday 12.07, Andrew Haslam, Fußball Arena München
Bayern are the first team to play a European Cup final in their home stadium since 1984, and they will hope for a better outcome than AS Roma, beaten on penalties by Liverpool FC in the Stadio Olimpico 28 years ago. The German club would doubtless prefer to look further back, to FC Internazionale Milano's 1965 triumph at their San Siro home or Real Madrid CF's defeat of ACF Fiorentina at the Santiago Bernabéu eight years earlier.
Bayern would become only the third team to win the UEFA Champions League in their own country after Juventus (1996, final in Rome) and Borussia Dortmund (1997, final in Munich) while Manchester United FC lost last year's final to FC Barcelona in London. In European Cup terms, United (1968, London), AFC Ajax (1972, Rotterdam), Liverpool (1978, London) have won finals in their own country while Stade de Reims (1956, Paris) and Barcelona (1986, Seville) lost finals on home soil.
Friday 11.51, UEFA.com London newsdesk
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has pinpointed the catalyst in the Blues' excellent finish to a season that has already featured an FA Cup final win against Liverpool FC. "We were struggling in Naples," conceded Lampard, in an interview with The Telegraph. "I was sitting watching and I could see that. We were very despondent in the dressing-room afterwards. We knew we were better than that. We all had to improve."
"It took a big effort from everybody in the weeks between the Napoli games to turn things around," he added. "The home game was obviously the major turning point in our season."
With defender John Terry suspended for tomorrow's showpiece, Lampard will lead the team out as captain in Munich. "It will be my proudest moment," he said. "The season has turned around personally but not quite to the full extent yet. We need to win the final."
Friday 11.33, UEFA.com London newsdesk
Chelsea players might have a tight schedule ahead of the final but Juan Mata still found time earlier to share his thoughts on Twitter. The Spanish international tweeted:
@juanmata10: Arriving at the airport, on our way to Munich...with our dream closer! #CFC @chelseafc #ChampionsFinal
Friday 11.22, Andrew Haslam, Fußball Arena MünchenThere is a little over one and a half hours to go until the first of the day's two press conferences, with Bayern due to address the media at 13.00, and there are plenty of members of the press here collecting their accreditations for today and tomorrow night. In fact, owing to the high numbers, the photographers' booth actually opened its shutters 30 minutes early this morning to ease some of the congestion.
Friday 11.05, Kevin Ashby, UEFA Champions Festival
The festival enters its third day today and is again likely to attract huge numbers of fans to the expansive site at the Olympiapark. Josh Hershman (@UEFAcomJoshH) and Andy James (@UEFAcomAndyJ) are on hand to post updates on the various events taking place, including quotes from any footballing figures present.
On that note, former Bayern stars Willy Sagnol and Giovane Elber have answered users' tweets in the last couple of days with Steffi Jones and Celestine Babayaro the first participants in UEFA.com Google+ hangouts.
Today's social media activity sees two more European champions, former Real Madrid CF midfielders Steve McManaman and Christian Karembeu, answer your questions via Twitter and ex-Chelsea FC defender Graeme Le Saux step into the hangout hotseat.
Send questions via Twitter using #AskMcManaman and #AskKarembeu, and join our Google+ page to be in with a chance of putting your questions live to Le Saux.
Friday 10.55, Kevin Ashby, UEFA Champions FestivalLast night's UEFA Women's Champions League final attracted a record crowd in excess of 50,000 as Olympique Lyonnais defeated 1. FFC Frankfurt 2-0 to retain their title.
The Olympiastadion was hosting its first football match since Bayern departed seven years ago and the name of Camille Abily can now be added to the list of players including Gerd Müller, Trevor Francis, Marco van Basten, Basile Boli and Lars Ricken to have scored famous final goals at the iconic stadium.
For the first time since the FIFA Women's World Cup, women's football features on the front page of French sportspaper L'Equipe this morning. Under a huge picture of the team celebrating, the headline reads: 'They are magic'.
Friday 10.45, UEFA.com London newsdesk
Andrew Haslam (@UEFAcomAndrewH) and Graham Hunter (@UEFAcomGrahamH) will provide you with live updates throughout the day – paying particular attention to Bayern's press conference at 13.00 and Chelsea's address to the media at 17.45 – from the Fußball Arena München, which will have a 62,500 capacity for tomorrow's game.
Here are a few other morsels of information to get you going this morning:
- The match will be produced in full High Definition with 38 match cameras including a spidercam and one up in a helicopter. In addition there will be a 12-camera 3D production;
- 75 TV rights-holding broadcasters will be on site along with 1500 TV production and technical staff;
- There are 119 television and radio commentary positions, 600 seats with desks for the written media and 200 photographers;
- The worldwide TV audience is expected to top 300 million.
Before the day's business gets under way, a gentle reminder that there are a number of ways to win great prizes with UEFA.com, including Predictor, Player Rater, and Classics. For now, though, UEFA.com's match background and final press kit provide all the facts, records and history you need.
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