This Week: Season Finale
This Week: Season Finale
Welcome to This Week from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of football action for learners of English from across the globe. This Week, Laura, Rich and Jack talk about the latest action from the Premier League and have lots of football English for you to learn.
Transcript
Introduction
Laura: Hello my name’s Laura and welcome to our weekly round-up section called ‘This Week’ on Premier Skills English.
Rich: Hi there. I’m Rich. We’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.
Jack: And I’m Jack and we hope you are all well.
Laura: The Premier League season is over - and what an exciting season finale it was.
Rich: Lots to talk about - which teams qualified for Europe, which teams are going down, which teams have survived and which teams are coming up.
Jack: And we’ll talk about all that and we have plenty more football English for you to learn, too.
Laura: We’re going to take a look at three headlines from the last round of Premier League action and focus on some useful bits of vocabulary.
Rich: And we want you to use and practise these words and phrases by interacting with Premier League fans from around the world in our comments section.
Jack: And a little later we’ll also have a Premier League prediction for you. This week we’re going to talk about the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Laura: If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, you can leave your comments in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.
Rich: You can find all our latest content on the Premier Skills English homepage or the Premier Skills-British Council Facebook page.
Jack: Don’t forget that we also have our weekly Premier Skills English podcast that is released every Friday. Every week we help you with some different vocabulary or an aspect of grammar.
Laura: Our latest podcast is called Learning Vocabulary: Captain Blade part two.
Rich: This is the second episode in our two-part story about an evil club mascot who wants to take over the world.
Laura: She doesn’t want to take over the world exactly but she does want revenge and has taken Jack and Rich hostage.
Jack: Do you think we’ll escape? In the second episode, we focus on idioms and language connected to fighting and boxing. You can find the lesson on the homepage on the Premier Skills English website.
Rich: You’re now going to hear our three headlines. After each headline, we’ll have a little discussion and look at some vocabulary.
Laura: The words and phrases we are looking at this week are: the top table, to miss out on, nail-biting, to hang on, in charge of and the big time.
Jack: After the headlines, we want you to make a Premier League prediction and we have a language challenge for you to have a go at.
Headline 1
Rich: Chelsea and United win the race for Champions League football.
Jack: Manchester United will join Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool at the top table of European football next season. United’s 2-0 victory at Leicester means a third-placed finish for Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer’s team and that the Foxes miss out after occupying a top-four slot for much of the season. Chelsea secured their Champions League spot courtesy of a 2-0 home win against Wolves.
Laura: United fans will be very happy to be back in the Champions League after dropping down to the Europa League this season.
Rich: Do you know who I think has been the difference? Bruno Fernandes.
Jack: Yes, he’s been brilliant. Leicester fans will be gutted though. Very disappointing to be up there all season and then miss out at the last minute.
Laura: Good news for Chelsea fans though. Frank Lampard has done a great job in his first season as a Premier League manager.
Rich: Let’s have a look at some language from the headline. We said that Manchester United will be at the top table of European football next season.
Jack: The top table is where the most important people sit. At weddings, in the UK, the families of the bride and groom will often sit at a table at the end of the room where everyone can see them. This is called the top table.
Laura: In the headline, it was used as a phrase in a non-literal way to describe the highest level of European football.
Rich: Many business leaders, politicians and even countries often want a seat at the top table. Again the phrase is being used in a non-literal way to describe people, business or countries who want to be involved in decision-making at the highest levels.
Jack: The next bit of vocabulary we want to look at is to miss out or miss out on something. We said that the Foxes missed out - Leicester missed out on the chance of Champions League football.
Laura: To miss out means to not benefit from something that would be fun or useful. Leicester missed out on Champions League football.
Rich: We often say yes to things because we don’t want to miss out on the chance of doing something exciting and fun.
Jack: Another phrase I want to have a look at is courtesy of. We said that Chelsea qualified for the Champions League courtesy of a 2-0 win against Wolves.
Laura: Courtesy is usually connected to politeness or polite behaviour. In some cultures, it’s a common courtesy to stand up to allow an older person to sit down on public transport for example.
Rich: But when we say courtesy of it’s actually a phrase that is similar in meaning to as a result of or because of.
Jack: Chelsea qualified for the Champions League courtesy of a 2-0 win against Wolves. Chelsea qualified for the Champions League as a result of a 2-0 win against Wolves. Chelsea qualified for the Champions League because of a 2-0 win against Wolves.
Laura: Let’s take a look at our second headline.
Headline 2
Jack: Villa safe, Cherries and Hornets down.
Laura: Aston Villa survived while Bournemouth and Watford were relegated in a nail-biting finale to the Premier League relegation battle. Watford went down 3-2 at Arsenal but Bournemouth won 3-1 at Everton and needed Villa to lose in order to survive. In a nervy game at West Ham, Villa took an 83rd-minute lead but West Ham equalised one minute later. Villa hung on for the point they needed to hang on to their Premier League status.
Rich: Commiserations to Bournemouth and Watford but congratulations to Aston Villa.
Jack: It was very exciting. One goal for West Ham would have changed everything.
Laura: Let’s have a look at some language. We said that it was a nail-biting finale.
Rich: We use nail-biting to describe something that is very exciting or makes you feel very anxious. A good film might be nail-biting as you don’t know how it is going to end.
Jack: This is the same with football. It was a nail-biting end to the season - especially for Watford, Bournemouth and Aston Villa fans.
Laura: Our next bit of language is a phrasal verb - to hang on. We said that Villa hung on for a point against West Ham and hung on to their Premier League status.
Rich: To hang on means to continue doing something in a difficult situation.
Jack: It was very difficult for Aston Villa and many people thought they would be relegated, but the team hung on and will be playing Premier League football next season.
Laura: Let’s look at our final headline.
Headline 3
Laura: Leeds and West Brom are up.
Rich: Leeds United are back in the Premier League after 16 years. The Argentinian, Marcelo Bielsa, has led the Whites to the Championship title in his second season in charge of the Yorkshire club. West Brom are back in the big time after two seasons away with Slaven Bilic in charge of the Black Country club.
Jack: It’s been too long. Leeds are a massive club and it will be exciting to see a Marcelo Bielsa team in the Premier League.
Laura: Pep Guardiola has described Bielsa as the best coach in the world and is considered to have had a big influence on modern-day coaching.
Rich: I know that one of our listeners WSanta from Argentina will be very happy. He’s become a Leeds fan just because of Bielsa - his avatar even says ‘in Bielsa we trust!’.
Jack: And congratulations to West Brom too. They keep bouncing back. Boing Boing! That’s a famous West Brom chant if you were wondering why I did that.
Laura: Let’s have a look at some language. We spoke about the managers, Marcelo Bielsa and Slaven Bilic in the headline. The managers are in charge. They are in charge of the club.
Rich: To be in charge means to have control. To be in charge of something means to have control of something.
Jack: Marcelo Bielsa is in charge of the Leeds team and Slaven Bilic is in charge of West Brom.
Laura: We said that Bielsa led Leeds to the title. A manager is in charge and leads a club so Bielsa led his club to the title and Slaven Bilic led West Brom to promotion.
Rich: Our last phrase this week is the big time. The phrase the big time is connected to fame and success. We said that West Brom are back in the big time.
Jack: This means they have returned to being famous and successful. The club is now back in one of the biggest leagues in the world.
Laura: We might use to be back in the big time about sportspeople, actors, and singers who have been unsuccessful for a while and are successful again.
Rich: OK. We’ve looked at three stories and six bits of vocabulary in our headlines. The words and phrases we’ve looked at are: the top table, to miss out on, nail-biting, to hang on, in charge of and the big time.
Jack: Have a listen to the headlines again and see if you understand the vocabulary we’ve looked at.
Prediction
Laura: It’s time for our Premier League prediction but first of all well done to me for predicting that it would be Manchester United that would pip Leicester to the post and qualify for the Champions League.
Rich: Yes, very good, Laura. You’ve done much better than me over the last few weeks. Right, so the Premier League has finished but this weekend we have the small matter of the FA Cup Final.
Jack: I’m quite nervous about this but I’m hoping Arsenal can beat Chelsea.
Laura: I think it would be a bit cruel to make Jack do a prediction so I think you should do it, Rich.
Rich: OK, but I don’t think Jack is going to be very happy because I think Chelsea will win the Cup and Arsenal will be left without European football next year. I just don’t think Arsenal are good enough at the moment. They played very well to beat Manchester City but I think that was a bit of a fluke - CIty had so many chances in that game. They also beat Liverpool but we, I mean, Liverpool didn’t have anything to play for. Chelsea are in good form and have just qualified for the Champions League and will have too much for Arsenal. Final score: Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal.
Jack: Thank you, Rich. That’s exactly what I was hoping for. Your predictions have been dreadful recently. I’m now much more confident that Arsenal’s name is going to be on the cup once again.
Laura: So, that’s Rich’s prediction. What’s yours? Do you agree with him? You can make your prediction for the FA Cup Final on the Premier Skills English website.
Language Challenge
Rich: To finish up the show we’ve got a quick language challenge connected to this week’s vocabulary.
Jack: Earlier we used the noun phrase the big time when we were talking about West Brom’s promotion to the Premier League. Here are three more noun phrases that use the word time. Can you complete the missing word in each sentence?
Laura: The referee blows his whistle for ___ time. We’ve won!
Rich: I go to my pool for a little ____ time. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
Jack: They use time ____ in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
Laura: We want you to write the correct answers on the Premier Skills English website where we have some more questions and activities connected to this week’s show.
Jack: Or write your answer on Apple Podcasts if that’s where you listen to us. Just write the answers in the review section and say hi.
Laura: Before we finish we just wanted to say that we hope you found this lesson useful and we hope that all of you stay fit and healthy.
Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.
Headlines
Chelsea and United win the race for Champions League football
Manchester United will join Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool at the top table of European football next season. United’s 2-0 victory at Leicester means a third-placed finish for Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer’s team and that the Foxes miss out after occupying a top-four slot for much of the season. Chelsea secured their Champions League spot courtesy of a 2-0 home win against Wolves.
Headlines
Villa safe, Cherries and Hornets down
Aston Villa survived while Bournemouth and Watford were relegated in a nail-biting finale to the Premier League relegation battle. Watford went down 3-2 at Arsenal but Bournemouth won 3-1 at Everton and needed Villa to lose in order to survive. In a nervy game at West Ham, Villa took an 83rd-minute lead but West Ham equalised one minute later. Villa hung on for the point they needed to hang on to their Premier League status.
Headlines
Leeds and West Brom are up
Leeds United are back in the Premier League after 16 years. The Argentinian, Marcelo Bielsa, has led the Whites to the Championship title in his second season in charge of the Yorkshire club. West Brom are back in the big time after two seasons away, with Slaven Bilic in charge of the Black Country club.
Vocabulary Alert
Language in the headlines
We looked at six words and phrases in our headlines that you can learn to improve your English. Take a look at the phrases in bold. Do you understand what they mean?
Manchester United will join Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool at the top table of European football next season.
The Foxes miss out after occupying a top-four slot for much of the season.
Bournemouth and Watford were relegated in a nail-biting finale to the Premier League relegation battle.
Villa hung on for the point they needed to hang on to their Premier League status.
Marcelo Bielsa, has led the Whites to the Championship title in his second season in charge of the Yorkshire club.
West Brom are back in the big time after two seasons away.
Prediction
FA Cup Final Prediction
Rich has our prediction this week. He spoke about the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Rich thinks Chelsea will win but Jack is hoping for an Arsenal win. Who do you think will win the cup?
Vocabulary
Language Challenge
Jack, Rich and Laura set you a language challenge. We used the phrase the big time earlier in the podcast and we’ve thought of three other phrases which use the word time. Can you complete the phrases using the correct word?
The referee blows his whistle for ___ time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little ____ time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time ____ in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
Write the correct answer in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Discuss
Talk about the headlines
Jack, Laura and Rich looked at three stories in the news and some vocabulary that might be new to you. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments section below.
- Are you happy to see Manchester United back at the top table of European football or are you disappointed that Leicester missed out?
- Aston Villa stayed up and Watford and Bournemouth went down. How do you think the fans feel?
- Are you looking forward to seeing Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United and Slaven Bilic's West Brom in the Premier League next season?
- Rich has predicted a final score of Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal. What's your prediction for the FA Cup Final?
- Can you do our language challenge?
Write your comments and answers in the section below.
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Komentar
05/05/2021
points
LANGUAGE CHALLENGE
The referee blows his whistle for FULL time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little BRIEF time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time OUT in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
PHRASES;
• The country that have progress in the science and technology also will have the power internationally to sit at the top table.
• Life is full of the regrets that is caused by the plenty of miss out on the opportunities.
• His marriage proposal was accepted courtesy of his fake courtesy gestures . Commiserations to the bride-:)
• It was a nail-biting movie. Survivors hung on to live in a wild environment till rescued.
• He’s in charge of loans in the bank and supposed to raise amount of loan portfolio.
• This singer hit the big time at her first record however it didn't continue.
• She/he has been qualified for final selections of national olympic team.
• When the prices go down because of lack of demand then recession come up in the economy.
• If you don't study regularly your marks will drop down.
05/05/2021 14:13
Tottenham Hotspur
5560
LANGUAGE CHALLENGE
The referee blows his whistle for FULL time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little BRIEF time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time OUT in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
PHRASES;
• The country that have progress in the science and technology also will have the power internationally to sit at the top table.
• Life is full of the regrets that is caused by the plenty of miss out on the opportunities.
• His marriage proposal was accepted courtesy of his fake courtesy gestures . Commiserations to the bride-:)
• It was a nail-biting movie. Survivors hung on to live in a wild environment till rescued.
• He’s in charge of loans in the bank and supposed to raise amount of loan portfolio.
• This singer hit the big time at her first record however it didn't continue.
• She/he has been qualified for final selections of national olympic team.
• When the prices go down because of lack of demand then recession come up in the economy.
• If you don't study regularly your marks will drop down.
05/08/2020
points
The referee blows his whistle for **** time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little spare time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time **** in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
05/08/2020 22:14
Newcastle United
1505
The referee blows his whistle for **** time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little spare time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time **** in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
05/08/2020
points
The referee blows his whistle for **** time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little kill time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time **** in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
05/08/2020 16:02
Newcastle United
1505
The referee blows his whistle for **** time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little kill time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time **** in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
03/08/2020
points
1- I think Manchester deserved to be in the top table, they have made a good work in the return of football. Good games and great perfomances of their players, for instance Bruno Fernandes. It is very good to see the best teams in the Champions League.
2- Aston Villa fans are excited, relieved and without fingernails. On the other hand, the fans of the relegated teams are sad, frustrated and also without fingernails. Good luck next year. R.I.P.
3 - Yes, I'm. Marcelo Bielsa is a big icon of football, his teams always are competitive.
4 - I think Arsenal will win the match and I bet Aubameyang will score two times!
(Date: August 3. Two days after the match)
5 - At least I tried!
03/08/2020 16:40
Manchester City
185
1- I think Manchester deserved to be in the top table, they have made a good work in the return of football. Good games and great perfomances of their players, for instance Bruno Fernandes. It is very good to see the best teams in the Champions League.
2- Aston Villa fans are excited, relieved and without fingernails. On the other hand, the fans of the relegated teams are sad, frustrated and also without fingernails. Good luck next year. R.I.P.
3 - Yes, I'm. Marcelo Bielsa is a big icon of football, his teams always are competitive.
4 - I think Arsenal will win the match and I bet Aubameyang will score two times!
(Date: August 3. Two days after the match)
5 - At least I tried!
01/08/2020
points
Language Challenge
The referee blows his whistle for **** We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little ( limited ) time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time **** in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
01/08/2020 00:07
Manchester United
6539
Language Challenge
The referee blows his whistle for **** We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little ( limited ) time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time **** in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
02/08/2020
points
Could it be a little ( brief ) time ?
02/08/2020 23:10
Manchester United
6539
Could it be a little ( brief ) time ?
31/07/2020
points
FA Cup Final prediction
I think Arsenal is more ambitious than Chelsea to play in the Europa League next season so I will go for Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea.
31/07/2020 23:54
Manchester United
6539
FA Cup Final prediction
I think Arsenal is more ambitious than Chelsea to play in the Europa League next season so I will go for Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea.
31/07/2020
points
1. I'm over the moon by Manchester United win and the qualification to the Champions League. Mainting the 3rd position is an icing on the cake but we still have so much work to do. Sorry for Leicester as they had a great season but small details moved them to the Europa League.
2. Villans played like warriors and they were determined so I'm proud of them. Watford sacked their manager 2 games before the end of the season so that's normal to see them relegate. I feel pity for Bournemouth and their amazing manager Eddie Howe but hopefully they will be back soon next season.
3. I bet that Leeds United will finish between 5th and 10th position with Bielsa and the rivalry between United and Leeds is back.
Bilic proved he's a top manager with Westham United a few years ago but unfortunately there's no Payet nowadays. Wish them luck with our Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazy.
31/07/2020 23:52
Manchester United
6539
1. I'm over the moon by Manchester United win and the qualification to the Champions League. Mainting the 3rd position is an icing on the cake but we still have so much work to do. Sorry for Leicester as they had a great season but small details moved them to the Europa League.
2. Villans played like warriors and they were determined so I'm proud of them. Watford sacked their manager 2 games before the end of the season so that's normal to see them relegate. I feel pity for Bournemouth and their amazing manager Eddie Howe but hopefully they will be back soon next season.
3. I bet that Leeds United will finish between 5th and 10th position with Bielsa and the rivalry between United and Leeds is back.
Bilic proved he's a top manager with Westham United a few years ago but unfortunately there's no Payet nowadays. Wish them luck with our Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazy.
31/07/2020
points
Hi mates!
My answers for the questions are:
1- I'm disappointed that Leicester missed out the Champions League spot. They did a great season. I think that they have deserved.
2- I think that Watford and Bournemouth fans feel sad to the relegated. It'll be a long next season in the Championship. But the Villans feels great. It was a hard season to them. They expected to be relegated I guess.
3 - Yes, I'm. Leeds is a great club. They need to be in the Premier League. And Marcelo Bielsa will be a great atraction for the league. I'm looking forward to see him against Guardiola. About Slaven Bilic's West Brom, sincerely, I don't know what expect. He needs to be a great premier league season after the last one with West Ham.
4- My prediction for the FA Cup Final is Arsenal 3-2 Chelsea. It'll be a surprise.
Stay safe, bye!
31/07/2020 00:33
Leeds United
399
Hi mates!
My answers for the questions are:
1- I'm disappointed that Leicester missed out the Champions League spot. They did a great season. I think that they have deserved.
2- I think that Watford and Bournemouth fans feel sad to the relegated. It'll be a long next season in the Championship. But the Villans feels great. It was a hard season to them. They expected to be relegated I guess.
3 - Yes, I'm. Leeds is a great club. They need to be in the Premier League. And Marcelo Bielsa will be a great atraction for the league. I'm looking forward to see him against Guardiola. About Slaven Bilic's West Brom, sincerely, I don't know what expect. He needs to be a great premier league season after the last one with West Ham.
4- My prediction for the FA Cup Final is Arsenal 3-2 Chelsea. It'll be a surprise.
Stay safe, bye!
31/07/2020
points
Hi lads!
The answers to language challenge are:
The referee blows his whistle for ****-time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little bit time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time ****in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
See ya!
31/07/2020 00:10
Leeds United
399
Hi lads!
The answers to language challenge are:
The referee blows his whistle for ****-time. We’ve won!
I go to the pool for a little bit time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
They use time ****in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
See ya!
28/07/2020
points
In the FA Cup I'll root for Chelsea because a friend of mine Alik the Gunner supports them since the school days, around 1977. When I from solidarity rooted for the Gunners (not vs. Liverpool of course) they often lost games. So he asked me, especially after the ManCity match when I supported the Citizens, to root for the Gunners' opponents in future. And I will do that. So, Jack, not everything is so bad as Rich and I have nostradamused :-)
28/07/2020 17:59
Liverpool
6578
In the FA Cup I'll root for Chelsea because a friend of mine Alik the Gunner supports them since the school days, around 1977. When I from solidarity rooted for the Gunners (not vs. Liverpool of course) they often lost games. So he asked me, especially after the ManCity match when I supported the Citizens, to root for the Gunners' opponents in future. And I will do that. So, Jack, not everything is so bad as Rich and I have nostradamused :-)
28/07/2020
points
In a hurry I made a little typo : Alik the Gunner supports Arsenal (I meant Arsenal by"them") , of course, not Chelsea. To support Chelsea is on the first of August my task. :-)
28/07/2020 19:30
Liverpool
6578
In a hurry I made a little typo : Alik the Gunner supports Arsenal (I meant Arsenal by"them") , of course, not Chelsea. To support Chelsea is on the first of August my task. :-)
28/07/2020
points
I go to the pool for a little exercise time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
28/07/2020 17:47
Liverpool
6578
I go to the pool for a little exercise time every day. I’m so busy the rest of the day.
28/07/2020
points
The referee blows his whistle for not anymore having time. :-) We’ve won!
28/07/2020 17:44
Liverpool
6578
The referee blows his whistle for not anymore having time. :-) We’ve won!
28/07/2020
points
They use time **** in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
28/07/2020 17:22
Liverpool
6578
They use time **** in basketball. Do you think they’d be a good thing to use in football?
28/07/2020
points
I'm looking forward to seeing Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United in the PL next season - last year they nearly got there, now they'll have the big time deservedly.
28/07/2020 17:20
Liverpool
6578
I'm looking forward to seeing Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United in the PL next season - last year they nearly got there, now they'll have the big time deservedly.
28/07/2020
points
I sympathize with Liubomir whose Watford having smashed future champions Liverpool 3 : 0 must be nevertheless relegated.
28/07/2020 17:14
Liverpool
6578
I sympathize with Liubomir whose Watford having smashed future champions Liverpool 3 : 0 must be nevertheless relegated.
28/07/2020
points
I'm happy for Solskjaer's successful finish. At the same time Mancunians have a load of work to do.
28/07/2020 17:09
Liverpool
6578
I'm happy for Solskjaer's successful finish. At the same time Mancunians have a load of work to do.
28/07/2020
points
I agree with Rich on a Chelsea win against Gunners. The score, nevertheless, will be 2 : 1. Only if Arsenal gets very angry for the last-year Europe League final they can oppose the Blues with honour.
28/07/2020 17:06
Liverpool
6578
I agree with Rich on a Chelsea win against Gunners. The score, nevertheless, will be 2 : 1. Only if Arsenal gets very angry for the last-year Europe League final they can oppose the Blues with honour.