Manchester United's title - Chelsea's European glory

It was supposed to be last year’s final for every Premier League-loving, tabloid-obsessed fan. Chelsea v Manchester United. Well, it's come a year late and yet it still promises to be an exciting final.

Chelsea have had a smaller profile under Avram Grant than they did under Jose Mourinho. Grant has adopted a much more behind-the-scenes approach compared to his spotlight-loving predecessor. In fact, Grant's management has been so understated that many are confused as to whether he is really in control of the team.

Many of his substitution decisions have been more than questionable. One of Grant's signature substitutions is to replace a midfielder with a forward when his side are trying to defend a lead (although, this did pay off against United in the league when Andriy Shevchenko saved a goal bound shot on his own goal line).

Chelsea's poor start to the season under Mourinho and their patchy start under Grant left them with a lot of work to do, but they've done a lot of the work and with a bit of luck could have another Premier League title and their, and London's, first Champions League trophy.

Michael Ballack and Michael Essien have been key players. I feel that Chelsea would have won a lot more comfortably if Frank Lampard hadn't played in either leg against Liverpool. He was dreadful at Anfield but showed great heart at Stamford Bridge following the death of his mother. If he plays well in the final they'll be hard to beat.

United started the season by spending millions on re-inforcing the squad. Most notably, the midfield was bolstered by the arrival of Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson who all slotted into their roles remarkably quickly. The centre back pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic continued to grow and has been remarkably reliable for most of the season.

United managed to chase down early leaders Arsenal, but have struggled to maintain their lead as they have chased Champions League glory. I had a little laugh to myself when I saw how many key players Ferguson rested against Chelsea and thought back to last year when he claimed that his side suffered because they competed for all competitions unlike other clubs.

A win at Chelsea would have secured the title. As it is they could end up with nothing because of their focus on the Champions League.

United's key man will probably be Paul Scholes. He seems to be getting better as his career draws to a close. And since he missed out on the 1999 European victory, he will be desperate to make amends this time. Cristiano Ronaldo will obviously be important, Wayne Rooney could be devastating if fit, and Nemenja Vidic is vital for a United victory.

United have a much better balanced squad than Chelsea. United's full strength back line is about as strong as Chelsea's, their midfield looks a lot more adaptable and free flowing and up front Rooney and/or Carlos Tevez are as good as any combination of strikers Chelsea has.

The result of the Premier League title chase will have a huge effect on the final. It’s good that neither side’s schedule is congested and they should be effectively at full strength.

As it is the first all-English final it will no doubt be compared to the all-Spanish and all-Italian finals. In 2000, Real Madrid v Valencia was the first final contested by two teams from the same country. It finished 3-0 to Madrid and had 15 Spanish players out of 26 who played.

In 2003, Milan v Juventus was the second final contested by two teams from the same country. Milan won 3-2 on penalties after neither team could score in regular or extra time. Half of the 28 players to contest that final were Italian.

Both Chelsea and Untied will play a bit more cautiously than they would in the Premier League. There is likely to be nine or 10 English players in the starting 22, so its probably more of an all English final than it would have been if Liverpool and Arsenal were fighting it out for the trophy.

I'm predicting Chelsea to win 2-1 with a goal from midfield in the dying minutes after failing to beat United to the Premier League title.