If destiny had been written in the stars, it is perhaps time to set things right. In 2005, Istanbul saw the most amazing UEFA Champions League Cup final in the competition's history. Then, it was Liverpool that triumphed. Nothing that the mighty AC Milan could throw at the determined Reds would shake their belief that old "Big Ears" deserved a permanent resting place at Anfield. Not even a 3-0 half-time lead, so scintillatingly eradicated in six second-half minutes of madness; nor the attentions of the world's deadliest striker at the time, Andriy Shevchenko, who witnessed first hand an incredible "hand of God" double save from Liverpool custodian, Jerzy Dudek followed then by the penultimate penalty shootout save that completed a night of misery for the Rossoneri.

Two years down the road the elation has passed, wounds are healed even if somewhat still a bit raw. The two European giants, boasting 11 European Cups between them, will face-off once again in the final. This time round, they will meet in Athens. This time round, there is not a trace of destiny that surrounds either side. No more Pope, nor Prince Charles' wedding, to set the stars Liverpool's way. There is only Benitez and Ancelloti. There is Gerrard, and there is Kaka; there is Carragher and Gattuso; Crouch and Seedorf; Reina and Dida. The list goes on, but this will be a battle to be decided on the pitch and nowhere else.

Whichever side wins will claim poetic justice, and dare I say it a sense of destiny about it all. Both sides will be out to prove a point. For AC Milan, it is payback time for the humiliation suffered for they were surely the better team in 2005. For Liverpool, it is a coming of age an announcement to the world that Istanbul was not a fluke.

Nonetheless, one can be forgiven for an overwhelming feeling of dj vu in this much anticipated rematch. Just as AC Milan demonstrated a propensity to trash teams 3-0 in its home victory over Manchester United, Liverpool too reminded all of the 2005 penalty heroics in its shootout triumph over Chelsea. The Rossoneri have chosen again to wear their all-white kit, which means the Reds will be in their preferred red reminiscence once again to the 2005 final. Apparently, the all-white is AC Milan's lucky colour, having won four European Cups in them, though they have perhaps conveniently forgotten that it was the loss two years ago that counted, not to mention that the Reds have never lost a European Cup or Champions League final

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