Before we take a look at the Champion's League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich, let's take a second to consider the improbably paths each team took to get here.
The Semi-finals featured both Barcelona and Real Madrid and had soccer fans dreaming of an El Clasico rematch on Soccer's biggest stage. Barcelona over Chelsea was considered a lock, but even after going down to 10-men in the second leg, Chelsea were able to pull off an improbable win. It took a shootout on the second leg for Bayern to advance past Real, but when they did, Spanish soccer fans were left without a team in the final, an outcome most considered unlikely at best.
Now Bayern will be playing on their home field against Chelsea, who should be a decided underdog. Chelsea will likely miss out on qualifying for this tournament again next year based on their finish in the EPL. Bayern has home filed advantage and probably a better side. While the big name teams might not be in the final like everyone had anticipated, this should still be a pretty good matchup of talented squads.
For more on the UEFA Champions League final and all things Chelsea soccer, please check out We Ain't Got No History, SB Nation's Chelsea blog. You can also check out Bavarian Football Works, SB Nation's Bayern Munich blog.