Champions League final

While the main story for Bayern Munich fans and followers of the Bundesliga on Saturday night will be the new German victors' bid for a first Champions league title since 2001, the subplots within the main narrative will provide interesting distractions to the casual observer.

Bayern take on Inter Milan in Madrid, and both are chasing historic trebles after winning their domestic leagues and cups in the last two weeks. But while Inter Milan have waited longer for the chance to get their hands back on the trophy known affectionately as Old Big Ears - Inter's last final was in 1972, their last win in 1965 - it is Bayern's return to the top table which has caught the imagination.

Italian teams have enjoyed more success than the Germans in this competition since the European Cup took on its modern form in 1992. Italian teams have won the cup four times in comparison to the Bundesliga's two successes in that time - Bayern's win in 2001 and Borussia Dortmund's 1997 victory.

Bundesliga hoping to benefit from Bayern victory

The Bavarian giants, hugely successful in the cup's previous format, have found themselves wanting on the European stage for so long that winning the Champions League has become something of an obsession.

Victory on Saturday will not only return the club to where it feels it rightly belongs but will give German soccer a huge shot in the arm. Having Germany's best team contesting - and perhaps winning - the biggest prize in European soccer will undoubtedly add further momentum to the Bundesliga's steady rise in popularity and status.

The drama of watching a treble-winning season come to its conclusion for one of the teams will be matched by the intriguing personal scores being settled on the pitch and in the dugouts at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Old friends vying for title of the master

Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, the Bayern and Inter coaches respectively, will be united in more than just a desire to win the cup and make history in Madrid.

Their friendship stretches back to a working relationship at Barcelona in the late 1990s when van Gaal was coach at Camp Nou and Mourinho was his assistant. The Dutchman elevated Mourinho from his previous role as translator and set the Portuguese on the road to becoming one of the world's best coaches by giving him more responsibility. The bond and respect from that show of trust has endured to this day.

Mourinho, a hugely ambitious and driven man, will need few reasons to be motivated ahead of this clash but the desire to prove himself to his former mentor will no doubt be lurking somewhere in the back of his calculating mind.

While no strangers to success with other teams, both coaches have transformed their current clubs since taking the helm. Bayern's return to success and Inter's consolidation of their position as Italy's best team are testament enough to the talent of these coaches, but it's in the way that both men have reinvigorated certain players in their charge that they can take the most pride.

Real rejects return to Madrid with greatest prize at stake

Dutchmen Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder will return to Spain for a final that big money moves to Real Madrid could not deliver. Running out onto what used to be their home pitch in new colors for the Champions League final will be evidence enough as to how the fortunes of these international teammates have changed since leaving the Real circus.

Both players have been devastating for their clubs and instrumental in their success this season. Under van Gaal's tutelage, Robben has rediscovered the attacking flair and hunger that made him one of the world's most feared wingers during his time at Chelsea. While his goals have certainly helped Bayern achieve great things this season, his overall contribution has helped turn the German team into the fluid, offensive unit van Gaal had hoped to build at Munich.

Sneijder has been equally influential at Internazionale. The midfielder is the team's metronome, albeit one set at a high ticking tempo. His hugely creative and intelligent dictation of play has brought out the best in Inter's strikers while his own goal rate has been impressive to say the least. Sneijder's importance is clear when viewed in the context of how he inspires with zest and urgency an Inter team whose collective legs are ageing.

Mixed emotions and determined focus

Elsewhere there will be mixed emotions for Inter's defensive cornerstone Lucio. The Brazilian has been a revelation at Inter since his summer move from Bayern.

And while his professionalism will keep his mind focused on winning the cup for his current team, facing opponents with whom he won three Bundesliga titles, three German Cups and two League Cups in a five-year career will surely carry some significance for the veteran.

There will be less conflict in the minds of players like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez, however, should Bayern's stalwart German internationals find themselves up against Inter's Marco Matterazzi. Should the Inter defender play at some point, those players who suffered World Cup semi-final heartache in 2006 at the hands of Matterazzi's Italy will surely want to deny him the chance to lift another trophy at their expense.

Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Martin Kuebler