As the Champions League Final inches closer, we prepare for pandemonium as Liverpool take on AC Milan for the second time in three years. Liverpool's amazing comeback to win it from three goals down is still fresh in the memory.
 
Revenge is the only thought on the minds of the Milan players, and they’ll be hoping it will be sweet. Their midfield dynamo, Gennaro Gattuso, said a short while after last year's Istanbul final: “It is better to lose
3-0 without touching the ball, than to lose the way we did.” The bitterness of that defeat still lingers on and Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Gattuso and the rest will be eager to erase the memories of that fateful night.

Rafa Benitez has his work cut out, and one crucial decision will be whether or not to start with Harry Kewell, who limped off in the Champions League in 2005 and later in the FA Cup in 2006. Liverpool are worn thin in the left flank department, with Mark Gonzalez not able to take on defenders but bursting with pace, and Bolo Zenden eager to take on defenders but too slow to make an impact. Kewell will fit in perfectly, but his fitness seems to be his worst obstacle.

Dirk Kuyt most probably will start alongside Craig Bellamy, who has blown hot and cold all season. Peter Crouch will feature at some stage, his height sure to pose problems for the Milan back line. Liverpool will be without Champions League talisman Luis Garcia, and he will be sorely missed. His trickery and ability to change a game with one moment of brilliance was a key element in the Reds' rampage through Europe two years ago.

Another headache for Rafa will be whether to assign Momo Sissoko or Javier Mascherano to cut Kaka out of the game. Sissoko can win a lot more balls for Liverpool, but his passing lets the team and himself down most times, and there’s little or zero margin for error in the Champions League Final. Mascherano is a better bet to start as he provides good defensive cover as well as a full range of passes that will no doubt put him up the pecking order.

It has been a remarkable turn about in fortune for the little Argentinian who, a few months ago, was deemed not good enough for West Ham. He now plies his trade on the biggest stage in Europe for one of the most prestigious teams in the world, while West Ham are probably still wondering how they managed to escape relegation from the Premiership. No doubt his compatriot, Carlos Tevez, had a lot to do with that.

Once again the “where will Gerrard play?” debate will surely be resurrected, and Rafa will keep everyone, including the players, guessing. Gerrard remains the key, with all the hopes of Liverpool fans resting on his shoulders. And somehow, its seems he likes it that way, as the best of Gerrard is seen when the pressure is on. He enjoys the pressure, channelling it into positive energy, and the way he kick-started the fightback in 2005 demonstrated this very point.

Milan are an awesome outfit, and deserve their place in the final. Manchester United were totally outclassed at the San Siro in the semi-final and their determination to dominate left Sir Alex Ferguson’s boys looking rather confused and out-manoeuvred. Benitez will do well to stop the array of passes that flow between Kaka, Seedorf, and Pirlo, Milan's axis of attack.

Paolo Maldini, the old-but-not-cold workhorse, will do well to recover in time for the Final, but those 38-year-old legs seem to be tiring finally. If he is fit he will resumes his post alongside the also not-so-young Alessandro Nesta.

The important role of containing or thwarting Liverpool attacks falls to the terrier that is Gattuso. Football viewers have seen him smacking World Cup winning Italian coach Marcello Lippi into a daze during the World Cup. The strange part of all was that he did so out of sheer happiness. One might be left to wonder what he does when he’s angry.

Gerrard has been quoted as saying that he would be happy to play Gattuso week in and week out. It remains to be seen how “Rino the growler” comes out of the tunnel, and who he will be assigned to mark his territory. He handled Cristiano Ronaldo with ease at the San Siro and showed that a little aggression goes a long way.

All in all, this final will be “a game of inches” (Al Pacino – Any Given Sunday).

Remember Luis Garcia in the 2005 semi-final second leg when he scored THAT goal? It went over the line, as was proven time and again, but only by an inch.
 
Remember goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek in the 2005 Final pulling off a double save to deny Andriy Shevchenko and Milan victory? One inch to the left it was a goal, but it was saved.

As the moment of truth inches closer, the deciding factor on the night . . . who will be inch perfect?

So who do you fancy, Liverpool or Milan? Post your comments below or, better still, express your views in an article for Sportingo.