Manchester United's 46-day reign as world champions will come to an end today with two Brazilian clubs fighting for the right to clinch FIFA's inaugural World Club Championship title.
Corinthians of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro outfit Vasco da Gama clash for the crown with Vasco having the slight advantage of playing in their home city at the legendary Maracana Stadium. It will be a classic encounter between representatives of two cities who have a fierce rivalry and different lifestyles, with both teams mirroring the image their city represents to the world.
Sao Paulo is the industrial powerhouse of Brazil and Corinthians, named after the resolutely amateur English club of the same name, are proud of that work ethic.
The reigning Brazilian champions have built their success on hard graft with current coach Oswaldo de Oliveira taking over where his disciplinarian predecessor Wanderley Luxemburgo left off when he quit the club to manage the Brazilian national team.
But Rio de Janeiro has a worldwide reputation as the ultimate party city. And just as Corinthians accurately reflect industrial Sao Paulo, so Vasco da Gama, named after a medieval Portuguese seafarer, project an image of their own city - and none more so than their brilliant but hedonistic strike duo Romario and Edmundo, whose exploits on the field are matched only by their ability to burn the midnight oil in Rio.
Corinthians, chasing the first international title in their 90-year history, are set to be without Brazilian international defender Joao Carlos for today's final.
The centre-back pulled a muscle in his left thigh shortly after the start of Monday's 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr and Adilson is standing by. "It would be a huge disappointment to miss the final," said Joao Carlos.
"I've played through the whole of a really long season (Corinthians have played some 90 matches) and to miss out in the most important match of them all would be difficult to take."
But Ricardinho, who scored the first goal against Al Nassr before going off with a knock, is set to be fit, although the man who came on as a first-half substitute in his place, Edu, stands by.
Brazilian international Junior Baiano is a doubt for Vasco but the Rio outfit have a more than adequate deputy in Odvan, who scored the equaliser in the 2-1 win over Necaxa that sealed the all-Brazilian final.
Either way it is a Brazilian club that will win the first truly global club competition with top calibre teams from all the world's continents pitted against each other for the first time.
