As they each chase their first trophy in English football Chelsea manager Avram Grant and his Tottenham rival Juande Ramos are both keeping their cards close to their chests ahead of Sunday's Carling Cup final at Wembley.

Questions about team selection in particular are being dodged as neither boss wants to give anything away until the last possible moment before they send their players out to contest the first big Cup final of the season.

Will the Chelsea line-up include England colleagues John Terry and Frank Lampard, both of whom were on the substitutes' bench for Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Olympiakos after playing in last Saturday's FA Cup win against Huddersfield?

"When you have big players it's not an easy decision," says Grant, "but it's my job to make the decision and I will pick my best team."

As for Spurs, will axed England goalkeeper Paul Robinson keep his place after performing well in his first club outing for 10 matches in Thursday's Uefa Cup tie against Slavia Prague?

"There is a lot of things to consider before deciding on the line-up for Wembley," says Ramos, though he is full of praise for Robinson's Euro display. "He did a great job," says the manager. "He was out for a while, but his performance was magnificent."

Though the two bosses are cagey about the make-up of their teams they both know the significance of Sunday's big match to their respective clubs and supporters.

Tottenham have not won a trophy since lifting the League Cup in 1999, while Chelsea are out to achieve a third Carling Cup final triumph in four years.

With their recent record of success Blues will be favourites against their London rivals, but Grant - who took over at Chelsea five weeks before Ramos' October appointment at Spurs - has great respect for the Spaniard and his work so far at White Hart Lane.

With his previous club Seville, Ramos won the Uefa Cup in both 2006 and 2007 and Grant says: "He is a great coach and a great person. He has a lot of knowledge about football and he's been a success so far. Tottenham have been excellent for the last three months and it will be a difficult game for us - but it will for them too."

When the teams met in the Premiership in January Chelsea came out 2-0 winners. "I realised then," says Grant, "that it means a lot to the fans to beat Tottenham. It's also important for the club and the fans to go to Wembley for the final of a big trophy.

"It will be an exciting game - Tottenham and us both like to attack, so I think it will be a quality final.

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