FIFA RANKING : 106

Korea DPR seemingly came from nowhere to storm into the Asian Zone's final round of qualifying, where they defied sizeable odds to take one of the continent's four automatic spots at South Africa 2010. This Asian "Suprise Package" last qualified for the main event in 1966 in which they reached the Last Eight.

To reach the 2010 showpiece, they went through a gruelling qualification campaign spanning 20 months and a whopping 16 games..! They sealed their qualification with a last match day bravely fought draw against UAE.


THE MANAGER

Manager Kim Jong-Hun was only 10 years old when the Chollima made history at the 1966 World cup and now, 43 years on, he is the man who has guided them back into the pinnacle of World football. His squad consists largely of domestic home-grown players who lack International experience and thus he will be favouring a Pragmatic and Defensive approach based around Discipline and Teamwork.


THE SQUAD


Goalkeepers :
Ri Myong-Guk, Kim Myong-Gil.

Defenders :
Cha Jong-Hyok, Ri Jun-ll, Ri Kwang-Chon, Nam Song-Chol, Ji Yun-Nam, Ri Kwang-Hyok, Pak Chol-Jin, Pak Sung-Hyok, Pak Nam-Chol.

Midfielders :
Mun In-Guk, Kim Yong-Jun, Ri Chol-Myong, Pak Nam-Chol, Ahn Young-Hak, Kim Kyong-ll.

Forwards :
Hong Yong-Jo, An Chol-Hyok, Jong Tae-se, Choe Kum-Chol, Kim Kum-ll, Kim Myong-Won.


MAN TO WATCH
Hong Yong-Jo


Korea DPR will be looking upon their experienced captain Hong Yong-Jo to lead from the front and produce some firepower up front. He has been in good goal scoring touch throughout the Qualification campaign and the Chollima will be hoping for the same from him on the big stage.


FP VERDICT

Sorry all Korea DPR fans, it has to be said that in a group so competetive, i just cannot see Korea DPR ower powering either Brazil, Ivory Coast or Portugal. Group stage exit is very much on the cards and it would require a very inspirational performance from the Chollima to defy the odds.

Inter Milan coach José Mourinho says the Champions League Final is bigger than the World Cup. His team plays Louis van Gaal's Bayern Munich in the final at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on 22nd May, the first Champions League final to be held on a Saturday night. Referee for the match will be England's Howard Webb.

Whilst it may not be the Champions League final many had hoped for, it is nonetheless true that the meeting of Inter Milan and Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu will see two of Europe’s in form teams go head to head. These two evenly matched teams have fought through some very tough encounters to get to the final and its fair to say that Saturday’s final promises to be a very tight, but potentially very exciting tie.

And to add to the excitement, the side that wins the Champions League final would be the proud winners of a treble, with van Gaal's Bayern having won the Bundesliga and the Deustcher Pokal whereas Inter have won the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia.

Their meeting reunites Inter coach José Mourinho with the man from whom he learned so much when assistant to Van Gaal at the Camp Nou over a decade ago. Both hope to add the European crown to the domestic doubles they have already claimed this season and in the process join Ottmar Hitzfeld and Ernst Happel as the only coaches to have won the competition with different clubs.

With star Frenchman Franck Ribery suspended and out of the finals, van Gaal will have to rely on the skill of rejuevenated Dutch winger Arjen Robben. As an attacking force, the Bundesliga side will take some stopping. With the likes of Thomas Muller, Ivica Olic, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gomez pushing forward, Mourinho’s back line will have to be as solid as ever to keep a clean sheet.

However, Inter Milan have more than a few options of their own to unlock the Munich defence. Strike pairing Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito are arguably one of the most deadly duos in European football and have managed 44 goals between them this season.

The San Siro outfit also have a former Real Madrid benchwarmer well on the way back to firing on all cylinders. Wesley Sneijder, like Robben, has found a new lease of life away from the Bernabeu and both former Real Madrid men will greatly like to prove what they are capable of in the stadium where they both saw their careers stutter.

Road to the Finals

Bayern Munich

German league champions Bayern Munich had a fairly comfortable semi-final against Olympique Lyon, winning 1-0 at home and then 3-0 away. Their quarter final clash against Manchester United was much harder. After winning 2-1 at home they found themselves trailing 3-0 at Old Trafford, but pulled it back to 3-2 to win on away goals. The away goals rule was also needed for them to beat Fiorentina in the previous round and the Bavarians won with a similar scoreline.

Inter Milan

Inter Milan took the biggest scalp of the tournament by beating the holders FC Barcelona in the semi-final. Depsite losing the second leg in Catalonia 1-0, it was not enough to cancel out the 3-1 home advantage. Wins of 2-1 at home and 1-0 away saw Inter Milan through the round of 16 against Chelsea. Inter also won both legs with scorelines of 1-0 at home as well as away in the quarterfinal round tie against CSKA Moscow.

Head-to-heads

Bayern Munich and Inter Milan have met four times before, the most recent being in 2006 during the Champions League group stages. They drew 1-1 in Munich after BayernMunich had won 2-0 in Milan. The other two games were in a two-legged third roundUEFA Cup tie in 1988. Inter led 2-0 after the Munich tie but Bayern went through on away goals after winning 3-1 in Milan.

Rankings at stake

There's more to the Champions League final than simply Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich. The game will also decide the future of Italian and German club football in the top European competition.

If Bayern wins, Germany will get a fourth entry in the Champions League starting in 2011-12 and Italy's entries will be reduced from four to three.

"Inter needs to win for the good of Italian football," said AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani, in a rare gesture of support for the city rival.

Under Uefa's complicated ranking system, Italy enters the final with just a 0.155-point lead over Germany.

-If Inter wins: Italy will retain its four entries and Germany will remain with three.

-If Inter wins on penalties: Only the result at 90 or 120 minutes counts in the Uefa rankings, so Germany will get four entries and Italy will be reduced to three.

-If Bayern wins: Germany will get four entries and Italy will be reduced to three.

Team News

Both sides will be without key figures, with Franck Ribéry and Thiago Motta suspended. Hamit Altıntop should take the former's place on Bayern's left flank, while Mourinho is likely to move captain Javier Zanetti, on his 700th Inter appearance, into a holding role in central midfield with Cristian Chivu playing left-back to combat the threat of Arjen Robben.

Probable Line-ups

Bayern Munich :

Butt, Lahm, van Buyten, Demichelis, Contento, Robben, van Bommel, Schweinsteiger, Altintop, Muller, Olic.

Inter Milan :

Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Santon, Sneijder, Cambiasso, Zanetti, Milito, Eto’o, Pandev.

Man To Watch

Bayern Munich - Mark van Bommel

It was van Bommel who played the key role in helping Bayern to progress at Old Trafford in the quarter-final, using every ounce of his experience to staunch Manchester United’s attacks and to shape the game to his will. He will need all of that, and more, to keep the Inter onslaughts at bay.

Inter Milan - Wesley Sneijder

Sneijder was a peripheral figure for much of his time at the Bernabeu, but he has blossomed into the hub of Inter’s play under Jose Mourinho. He is the supply line to Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito, and id Bayern are to beat the Italian champions, they would have to keep Sneijder quiet.

Prediction

Bayern Munich 1-2 Inter Milan

The odds are with Inter and it would take something really magnificent from the Bavarians to win their fifth European crown.

With last sunday's barnstorming 8-0 victory over Wigan ensuring Chelsea a one point victory in the 09/10 Barclays Premier League over Manchester United, football fans now turn their attention to the forthcoming 2010 FA Cup Final. The FA Cup final always puts up the two of the strongest teams of England against each other. This year, however, we have a David vs Goliath battle in the final as millionaires Chelsea take on penniless Portsmouth at Wembley Stadium on May 15th.

The two Barclays Premier League teams could not have had more opposite seasons: Chelsea, having lifted the Premiership on Sunday go into the FA Cup Final looking for a remarkable Double for the first time in their history. Pompey, by contrast, have the chance to put some much needed shine on an otherwise depressing season. The club's debt spiralled to nearly £140 million, plunging the team into administration and earning them a nine point deduction which effectively relegated the side.

Despite this, Avram Grant has managed to steer his charges to the cup final, which itself is nothing short of miraculous. The fact they were helped by a slippery Wembley pitch in the semi-final against Tottenham, is more of a sidenote.

Chelsea has been in sparkling form following their 8-0 demolition of Wigan Athletic last week with which they staved off the threat from Manchester United in the title race. Didier Drogba with 29 goals won the league’s golden ball, while Frank Lampard made highest 17 assists in the season. Blues defense is strong enough in the presence of Terry, Ashley Cole and Ivanovic.

Portsmouth, however, can find some positives in their performance in FA Cup 2010. Despite their poor run in premier league, they could manage to reach the FA Cup final. They know that a victory over Chelsea would create a history on Saturday as it would be considered as one of the greatest shocks in the history of the tournament.

FORM

Chelsea
Apr 13: Chelsea 1-0 Bolton (Premier League)
Apr 17: Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Apr 25: Chelsea 7-0 Stoke (Premier League)
May 2: Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
May 9: Chelsea 8-0 Wigan (Premier League)

Portsmouth
Apr 14: Wigan 0-0 Portsmouth (Premier League)
Apr 18: Portsmouth 1-2 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Apr 24: Bolton 2-2 Portsmouth (Premier League)
May 1: Portsmouth 3-1 Wolves (Premier League)
May 9: Everton 1-0 Portsmouth (Premier League)

TEAM NEWS

Portsmouth
Portsmouth have not been the luckiest with injuries this season, and it was againstChelsea that one of their nastiest occurred - Daniel Sturridge's flailing elbow gave Tommy Smith one of the most graphic broken noses seen for a while.

Smith misses out, along with long-term absentees Hermann Hreidarsson (Achilles) and Danny Webber (knee).

Pompey's main injury worry, though, is all-action midfielder Jamie O'Hara, who has a back problem. The Spurs loanee has been in brilliant form this season and Grant's side have missed his combating midfielder displays of late. He is hoping a pain-killing injection will allow him to play some part.

Centre-half Tal Ben-Haim has recovered from a groin problem, Nadir Belhadj and Richard Hughes (both hamstring) should be available, but Aruna Dindane (groin), Marc Wilson (hamstring), Hassan Yebda (thigh) and youngster Lenny Sowah (knee) are all concerns.

Kevin-Prince Boateng, scorer in the semi-final, is almost certain to miss out with an ankle injury and has not even travelled to London with the squad.

Chelsea
Unsung hero of the season Branislav Ivanovic is a doubt with a knee problem but the big worry this week was captain John Terry. Thankfully for Blues fans his foot injury looks to be nowhere near as bad as first feared and the centre-back even declared himself "100 per cent" fit to play.

John Obi Mikel has undergone minor surgery on a knee injury and is out for the remainder of the season, while long-term absentees Michael Essien, Jose Bosingwa (both knee) andRicardo Carvalho (ankle) remain sidelined.

Chelsea Probable Squad:Peter Cech, John Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic/ Paulo Ferreira, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda,Salomon Kalou, Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba

Portsmouth Probable Squad: David James,Steve Finnan,Ricardo Rocha, Tal Ben Haim, Anthony Vanden Borre,Aaron Mokoena, Nadir Belhadj, Richard Hughes,Hayden Mullins, John Utaka, Frédéric Piquionne.

MAN TO WATCH

Chelsea - Didier Drogba

The Ivory Coast has 36 goals in all competitions already this season and will be keen to add more on Saturday.It's difficult to argue with Drogba's form - 11 goals in his last 11 games - and when he's on song it's almost impossible to stop him.

Portsmouth - Ricardo Rocha

The former Spurs man put in a Man of the Match performance against his old club in the semi-final, despite playing out of position at centre-half. Pompey were so ravaged with injuries the defender, usually used to playing at right-back, slotted in and was immense.

Another sterling display - albeit against a world-class forward in Didier Drogba could be the catalyst for a famous Pompey victory.

PREDICTION

Chelsea 3-1 Portsmouth

Crystal Palace nearly did it in 1990, West Ham nearly did it in 2006. I reckon Portsmouth will only add themselves to that list. But you never know, things might go well for Pompey, and that’s the joy of the Cup!

This season’s La Liga is turning into one of the most fascinating campaigns ever. While admittedly there is a wide gulf between the first two places and the remainder of the table, every major position in the table is going to be decided on the last day of the season. The Spanish champion is still to be decided with there being just a point separating Barcelona and Real Madrid. While Valencia has locked in the third place guaranteeing qualification for next year’s UCL, the battle for the remaining Champions League and Europa League spots is very well poised.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are separated by a solitary point going into the last match day. Both the teams are facing opponents who are languishing in the bottom half of the table. Unlike the Italian or the English league in which the opponents rolled over in the last few matches against title contenders, there won’t be any such favours in Spain.

Barca takes on Real Valladolid on the final match day. Valladolid has had a remarkable turnaround under their new coach Javier Clemente. In their last seven matches Valladolid had lost only one match. In the previous seven matches, they had lost five games. The major reason for this drastic improvement in performance is Javier Clemente who has turned the season around.

Real Madrid on the other hand are going head to head against Malaga. Another team who is teetering on the brink of relegation, they will be heading out to get a victory or a point atleast. This season has seen Barcelona and Real Madrid pick up more points than ever. Their combined total of 191 points with one match-day to go is a European record.
The Relegation Battle in the La Liga is also delicately poised. The 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th (Tenerife, Valladolid, Malaga, Racing respectively) teams are all locked on 36 points respectively and Xerez on 33 points. There is a slight difference in the rules between the La Liga and the BPL in case of teams tying on same points. The head to head record is considered rather than Goal Difference. Xerez are looking as the team which is likeliest to stay safe. Even though they enter the last day bottom of the table they have beaten all the other teams in the relegation scrap and can be assured of safety if the beat their opponent Osasuna on the final day. The relegation spot is going to end up becoming the most confusing with over 5 different possible combinations of positions possible depending on the outcome of the matches

The race for the fourth spot and the two Europa League Positions is also nicely poised. There are 4 teams challenging for one champions League spot and the two Europa League positions. Sevilla and Mallorca are battling it out for the final Champions League spot. Whoever doesn’t make it will go to the Europa League. Sevilla face Almeria while Mallorca take on Espanyol. Sevilla have a single point lead over Mallorca and their destiny is in their own hands. The team which fails to qualify will be sent to the Europa League and the other spot will be between Villarreal and Getafe who are tied on points.

This nail biting season is going down to the wire and no one has any idea what is going to happen. A fitting finale to one the best seasons of all time.

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

Born to a throne, stronger than Rome
But Violent prone, poor people zone
But it’s my home, all I have known
Where I got grown, streets we would roam
But out of the darkness, I came the farthest
Among the hardest survival
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak
Except no defeat, surrender retreat

So we struggling, fighting to eat and
We wondering when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that fateful day
It’s not far away, so for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

So many wars, settling scores
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor
I heard them say, love is the way
Love is the answer, that’s what they say,
But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn’t hold us
Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers

But we struggling, fighting to eat
And we wondering, when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that faithful day
It’s not far away, but for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And everybody will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And you and I will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And we all will be singing it
(Ohhh Ohh Ohh Ohh)

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, when I get older
I will be stronger, just like a Waving Flag
Just like a Waving Flag, just like a Waving flag
Flag, flag, Just like a Waving Flag.

Gary Neville said, "When you leave it in the hands of others, you’ve got to take the punishment for it .We saw that on Sunday. We did our job which is all we could do. Now we hope something can happen this Sunday. We’ll be kicking ourselves come the end of the season if it doesn’t go our way on Sunday."

Ferdinand was quoted as saying, "It’s been a weird season. Hopefully that will bode well for Chelsea's game on Sunday."

"Last season, if the big boys like Chelsea, United and Arsenal were playing against teams below 10th spot in the league, they knew it wouldn't be difficult," said the Dutch defender.

"Now it's getting harder. They know now when they turn up and play against us that we can compete with them.

"You look at the teams we've beaten like Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, and take all the stuff we've done. I think it's looking really good for us."

Let's just break the ice and put it this way - Liverpool fans simply cannot fathom the fact of straight away handing Manchester United, the elusive 19th title.

Pepe Reina spoke of his determination to win their last Anfield game,

"If you are a professional, you will never play to lose or draw in any game. It's just not us.
"We need a win at home for our supporters. I don't care about Manchester United. All I care about is us and making sure we get three points.
"It's down to our own pride. We will try to win, and if we don't, it will be because we're playing Chelsea, a tough team fighting for the championship.
"We're going into the game after a disappointing night playing 120 minutes. It won't be easy but we will try.
"I want to make sure we can fight for fourth place by getting those three points. We never play to lose."