YOU couldn’t ask for a better match-up: the NFC’s Green Bay Packers up against the AFC’s Pittsburgh Steelers. It is going to be a good one if both these teams play up to their potential, and there is no reason why they should not. After all, this is it, the big one. This is the moment in time when every player lets it all hang out and lays it on the line in their quest to claim the title of Champions, plus the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy, the Holy Grail of the NFL — the Super Bowl.

The stage is set for this Sunday, eagerly anticipated by over one billion people — and that’s no exaggeration — around this planet who will watch the drama unfold right before their very eyes. The fact that there is little to choose from between the teams augurs well for a hard-fought and close game. How close? My guess is as close as a field goal. That’s three points in the NFL, and that’s close.

In previous years, I have always had a favourite team going into Super Sunday. That’s not the case this time around. I have no clear favourite. Remember last year when the New Orleans Saints played the Indianapolis Colts for Super Bowl XLIV? The Saints were the emotional favourites because of what New Orleans had endured during and after Katrina. They needed to win for the folks of New Orleans and they beat a very good team 31-17 in so doing.

Everyone was happy except maybe the Indianapolis Colts. I certainly was and so were most of the people with whom I watched the game. This year is a lot different for me because here we have two teams who are evenly matched and very much deserving of the berth in the finals, having got there by sheer dint of talent and hard work.

If there was a slight preference on my part, it would be for the Packers who survived the post season as a Wild Card team and won every one of their games on the road. No small feat in this league and a tremendous momentum builder.

But they are up against a machine. The Pittsburgh machine that is going after it’s seventh Super Bowl and being led by a guy who has, in his brief tenure as quarterback, two rings to his credit. These guys are not going to be fazed. They have been there and done that and they have the rings and t-shirts and caps to prove it.

For a closer look at how the teams match up, I sought help from someone with deep analytical skills coupled with a love and knowledge of the game and came up with JUSTBET’s Andrei Roper, who came up with the following.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it to yet another Super Bowl — their third Super Bowl appearance in the last six seasons (they won the previous two in 2006 and 2009), and they did so by beating the Ravens, then the high-flying New York Jets. The Steelers are 3-1 when they are playing against the spread as the underdog in the regular season. Pittsburgh did not play very often as the underdog in the 2010 season but, when they did, they performed very well.

The Packers are 7-6 during the regular season against the spread as the favourite. Being favourites have never been an advantage to the Packers, and they have played in a lot of close games this season. The Packers have been battle tested, having won all three play-off games this year on the road — beating the Eagles, the Falcons and the Bears. Undoubtedly, this impacted the bookmakers’ decision to make them the favourites over the Steelers, who were division winners and who had a first-round bye into the play-offs.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers threw a monkey wrench in the Super Bowl betting odds this year when they unleashed rookie running back James Starks on the play-offs. With the emergence of Starks, it seems like receiver Donald Driver has been getting less looks from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Wide receiver Greg Jennings is still a favourite target of Rodgers catching 17 passes for a total of 239 receiving yards in the play-offs. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson is second on the Packers’ play-off receptions list this season with 12 catches for 146 yards.

Expect Rodgers to spread the ball around between Driver, Nelson, Jennings and another receiver who has had his moments this postseason, James Jones. Pittsburgh Safety Troy Polamalu, the Defensive Player of the Year, cannot be everywhere at once, and the secondary of the Steelers may not be able to keep up with the wide receivers of

the Packers.

The Packers will also try to establish rookie running back James Starks again. He has been a bit of a revelation on the play-offs and will try to keep the Steelers defence honest.

The Packers defence is also great, with last season’s defensive player of the year, cornerback Charles Woodson, and this year’s defensive player of the year runner up, linebacker Clay Matthews, still playing at an elite level.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have gone back to their running game to help win in the play-offs. It has been primarily running back Rashard Mendenhall carrying the load, but Mewelde Moore and Isaac Redman are also getting their fair share of carries. The Steelers are trying to open up the opposing defence so that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can get the ball down field to receivers Mike Wallace and Hines Ward. But, so far, the running game has been so effective that the passing game is not needed as much as they had expected.

Look for the Steelers to

get tight-end Heath Miller involved in this game as an outlet pass to beat the blitz, or as a blocker for Mendenhall. When Miller is in as a blocker for the run, he opens up the middle of the field because the defence will back off in anticipation of Miller going into a pattern. That is one of the things that has helped the Pittsburgh running game to be so effective. But wide receivers Mike Wallace and Hines Ward are due in these play-offs, and they may come up big for Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.

Ben Roethlisberger is very similar to Aaron Rodgers in that he can extend plays even when his protection breaks down and the pressure begins to get to him. He can move around in the pocket and wait for receivers to get open — and of course, like Rodgers, he has a big, accurate arm, one that can tear apart even the best of defences.

But here’s an interesting fact. Although Big Ben has come up with several big plays in the postseason, he has an unflattering 12 interceptions in 10 postseason games. Can he overcome mistakes like that against this much-improved Packers defence and still win? Maybe not.

Andrei’s prediction: Packers 27, Steelers 24

Tony’s prediction: Steelers 27, Packers 24