The ultimate finish is in Argentina

Juan Román Riquelme (top) and 22-time champs Boca Juniors have been warring with pack-leading San Lorenzo all season. AP Gregory Sica's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Gregory Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

There's no shortage of drama around the world as 2008 comes to a close. Liverpool and Chelsea are battling for the top of the English Premier League, Barcelona is running away in Spain and newly promoted Hoffenheim is atop the standings as the Bundesliga goes on break. But if a thrilling finish is what you're after, these are all mere side plots to what's unfolding in Argentina.

After 19 rounds of play, three clubs finished even atop the Apertura '08 standings in the closest title race in decades. Because goal differential isn't used to determine the winner, the championship will be settled in the most thrilling finish in the history of the league: an unprecedented three-way playoff between San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors and Tigre.

Starting Wednesday night, the trio will take part in a unique mini-torneo that will decide the winner, beginning with the clash between San Lorenzo and Tigre at Vélez Sarsfield's Estadio José Amalfitani (all three matches will be played at neutral venues).

On Saturday, Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo will meet in highly anticipated clásico, and the playoff will come to a conclusion when Boca meets Tigre next Tuesday (unless San Lorenzo wins both games, in which case this third match won't be necessary). While Boca and San Lorenzo have picked up a combined 32 league championships over the years, Tigre has yet to claim its first, adding further suspense to an incredible season that will remain in the history books for years to come.

Recently promoted Tigre, which already has surpassed all expectations by reaching this decisive stage of the competition, won't give up without a fight. Although it comes into the playoff as the outsider, it's more than capable of knocking off the traditional heavyweights, already having beaten both of them this season.

Here's a brief rundown of how each team comes into the playoff series, and which of the three has the best odds of clinching the Apertura title.

San Lorenzo

Of the three teams, El Ciclón is in the best form. It won its past three games by scoring three goals in each contest, a perfect rebound from an earlier slip-up. Midway through the season, it seemed as if Miguel Ángel Russo's team would cruise easily to its second championship in four seasons -- not only was it playing highly entertaining soccer, but it was also racking up the points when it mattered most. But the pressure soon sunk in and San Lorenzo fell apart. Many feel it came as a result of Russo's failure to become the coach of the Argentine national team after being a firm candidate prior to Diego Maradona's controversial appointment.

The club's much-needed turning point came in the crucial clash with archrival Huracán. Russo's side fell behind to an early goal and it seemed that its title aspirations had come to an abrupt end. But perhaps it was an act of God that turned things around: The match was suspended due to excessive flooding caused by torrential rainfall. When the game resumed a few days later, San Lorenzo put four goals past Huracán, and since then the squad has been as confident as ever.

With so much talent to choose from, can Russo be blamed for playing with such an attacking approach? Gonzalo Bergessio, Néstor Silvera and Pablo Barrientos have been effective in front of goal, while Juan Manuel Torres and Santiago Solari (a superb late addition to the squad) have also been important.

San Lorenzo was the least favored team in the draw. After such a complicated game against Argentinos Juniors last weekend, it's expected to play two decisive games in three days (meaning a total of three matches in less than one week). On the up side, if Russo's troops beat Tigre on Wednesday, they'll prepare for the clash with Boca knowing that a victory would hand them the title.