ANALYSIS- Midfield machine drives Barcelona to greatness

© Reuters :The midfield machine behind Spain's first World Cup success ticked back into the same relentless rhythm to deliver Barcelona's fourth European Cup triumph at a spellbound Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Technically, tactically and temperamentally superior, and with the genius of Lionel Messi to provide the coup de grace, Barca crushed Manchester United with the simple logic that without the ball you can't do your opponents a lot of damage.

It must have been a depressingly familiar feeling for Alex Ferguson and the eight members of the starting XI that had also begun the final in Rome two years ago, as Barcelona completed a 3-1 victory that might easily have been a far higher margin.

Then, as now, the English side began by snapping at Catalan heels and threatening to exploit a defence with just a hint of vulnerability about it.

Then, as now, it took barely 10 minutes for the Barcelona midfield to exert their authority and carry the team to a comprehensive two-goal victory.

Unlike in Rome, when United were beaten 2-0, the english side recovered from a first-half goal to equalise as Wayne Rooney wafted in a fine shot after starting the move himself.

If there was any hint that they might go on to triumph despite having only a passing acquaintance with the ball it was disabused by a ruthless second-half Barcelona display.

It fell to the three strikers to score the three goals -- Messi following up Pedro's first-half opener by scoring the second himself and helping create the third for David Villa with an outrageous turn past substitute Nani on the right -- but this was a triumph built on the extraordinary work done in midfield.


PASSING RHYTHM

Xavi continually dropped deep to work his way forward, finding space where none appeared to exist thanks to the deftness of his touch and eye for the right pass -- the inevitable pass as it seems when you watch the replay.

Iniesta, the man who scored the winning goal in last year's World Cup final victory over Netherlands in South Africa, maintained the same passing rhythm while both looked to feed Messi in central areas outside the penalty area.

Xavi completed 124 of 136 passes, while Iniesta found his intended target 98 times out of 107.

Barcelona enjoyed 63 percent of the possession and it would have been much higher had they not felt comfortable enough to relax the rhythm over the closing minutes thanks to that two-goal cushion.

There was no surprise in any of this, nothing Ferguson and everyone else has not seen on countless other occasions watching Spain and Barcelona, but the execution was so good that the United manager acknowledged his side had been left helpless.

"I think it was obvious what happened tonight," Ferguson said. "We knew we were up against a good team before the game and planned as best we could.

"But they do mesmerise you with their passing and we never really controlled Messi. Of course, many people have said that."

If Ferguson was being oppressed by a sense of deja vu, his Barca counterpart was revelling in familiar surrounds.

It was at the old Wembley that Barcelona won their first European Cup in 1992, helped by a skinny midfielder who learned first-hand from then-coach Johan Cruyff that it is through the greedy accumulation of possession that trophies are won.

Pep Guardiola was an outstanding player for Barca, the classic deep-lying, ball-playing midfielder, but as a manager he has touched greater heights.

Based around Xavi, the man groomed to replace him, his Barcelona team played with something close to perfection on Saturday, securing a second Champions League win in three years.

"It's the way we played I'm most proud of," Guardiola said in a fitting summation of his philosophy.

"It isn't easy to play like this but we have managed it and I'm very happy tonight. It was a very good result."

Catalonia celebrates Barcelona's fourth Champions triumph

DPA © The entire region of Catalonia exploded with delight late Saturday as Barcelona won their fourth Champions Cup by beating Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley.

The goals of Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa were celebrated wildly in the Catalan capital and in the smaller towns of the north-eastern Spanish region.

An estimated 5 million Catalans, out of a population of 7.5 million, followed the final, many watching on giant screens at outdoor parties.

The only setback for the fans occurred at Barca's Mini Estadi, the club's small stadium where reserve team matches are played. A strong wind created the risk of the giant screen blowing over, so the 15,000 fans had to leave and find somewhere else to follow the big game.

The final whistle in Wembley set off noisy celebrations in Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona, Lleida and in countless small towns and villages.

Barcelona police were keen to prevent the vandalism that marred celebrations in 2009, when Barca won their third Champions.

The two epicentres of the celebrations were Barca's Camp Nou stadium and the downtown Catalonia Square. On Friday, more than 100 protesters were injured when police baton-charged a protest camp that had dominated the square for two weeks, complaining about corruption in the political system.

The celebrations will continue Sunday evening, when Pep Guardiola's team returns with the trophy and parades through the packed city steets.

We were mesmerised by midfield and Messi, says Ferguson

© Reuters Manchester United were never able to control Barcelona's midfield or deal with the brilliance of Lionel Messi as they were overwhelmed 3-1 in Saturday's Champions League final, manager Alex Ferguson said.

Like many before them, United had no answer to the wonderful passing of the players who did so much to help Spain become world and European champions and seemed powerless to get a grip on Messi as he danced through their defence almost at will.

"They do mesmerise you with their passing," Ferguson told a news conference in the bowels of Wembley to the background accompaniment of departing Barcelona fans celebrating their third European title in six years.

"We never really controlled Messi, but many people have said that. We never really closed the midfield well enough to counter them.

"We tried to play as near to the way we normally play. For instance, it's alien to us to try to man-mark players. We tried to play as normally as we can. It wasn't good enough on the night, we acknowledge that."

United actually started well but, just as they did when they lost the 2009 final to Barcelona in Rome, they quickly fell away.

Pedro put the Spaniards ahead after 27 minutes but there was a spark of hope for United when Wayne Rooney fashioned an excellent equaliser seven minutes later.

"When we got the lifeline I expected us to do better in the second half, but it wasn't to be," said Ferguson, whose hopes were blown away by second-half goals from Messi and David Villa.

"Nobody's given us a hiding like that but they deserve it because they play the right way and they enjoy their football."



STEPPING STONE

Ferguson has led United to three Champions League finals in four years, winning in 2008 having also triumphed in 1999, and said he was now facing up to the task of finding a way to compete with Barcelona for the ultimate club honour.

"It's not easy but that's the challenge, we shouldn't be afraid of that," he said.

"The challenge is always to improve yourselves, to build your team, I think we have some very good players, we'll mull it over in the summer.

"We've been consistent in Europe in the last few years but maybe this might be the same sort of stepping stone as when they beat us 4-0 a few years ago," he added in reference to the group-stage Nou Camp drubbing in 1994.

"Great teams do go in cycles and the cycle they are in at the moment is the best in Europe.

"How long it lasts and whether they can replace that team, they certainly have the philosophy ... it's always difficult to say that you can find players like Xavi, (Andres) Iniesta and Messi, probably not, but they are enjoying the moment.

"In my time as a manager I'd say yes, they are the best team I've faced."

Joy on streets of Barcelona at fourth European crown

© Reuters

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Thousands of Barcelona fans danced, sang and shouted with joy on the streets of the Catalan capital after their heroes secured a fourth European Cup triumph at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

About 35,000 blue and claret-clad supporters gathered at a giant screen in the centre of the city to watch Barca's comprehensive 3-1 victory over Manchester United.

It was the club's second Champions League triumph in three years and a fourth title after successes in 1992 and 2006.

Chanting the names of scorers Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa, the fans celebrated wildly before trooping home to prepare to join Sunday's victory parade.

The players will display the trophy through the city on an open-top bus starting at the port on Wednesday evening at 1530 GMT and the procession will wind its way up to its conclusion at the club's giant Nou Camp stadium.

Visibly moved club president Sandro Rosell was almost at a loss for words in a television interview when asked where Barca go from here. "What more can you ask," he said.

"With this coach (Pep Guardiola), who is the best in the world, and these players who are the best in the world, with Messi leading the charge, now it's just a question of motivation.

"They have the talent, the humanity, the team ethic and the tactical ability.

"All I want now is that the Nou Camp is full of children so we can celebrate the title on Sunday."

Messi shimmies and jinks his way to more greatness

© Reuters The moment that defined Lionel Messi as the greatest player in the world came after 69 minutes of the Champions League final on Saturday, rather than the 54th when he scored. That's how remarkable it was.

Having already made his mark as the outstanding player on the pitch and having scored a sublime goal to put Barcelona 2-1 ahead against Manchester United, the 23-year-old Argentine found himself wide on the right with his team attacking again.

The United defence stood firm to block his advance towards goal where he would no doubt inflict more damage on their already fragile and battered self-confidence.

The World Player of the Year, though, merely shimmied past them into space, providing the pass that led, almost inevitably, to David Villa's wonderfully struck, high curling shot that sealed Barcelona's 3-1 victory.

The way Messi moved, having the audacity to take on international defenders with such confidence, emphasised just how superior Barca were to United for almost all of the final apart from the opening 10 minutes when the English side saw more of the ball than they would for most of the next 80.

Messi still has a boyish look about him and it was almost as if he was back being the most gifted boy in the playground, dancing around opponents as if they were not there.

The performance not only earned Messi the Man of the Match award but moved the little forward another notch closer to the game's all-time greats Pele and fellow Argentine Diego Maradona.

Barca manager Pep Guardiola said: "Messi is the best player I've seen and probably the best I ever will see. We have great players but he makes the difference and without him we would not have that difference in quality. He is unique. A one-off."

Messi's Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo, on the losing side when Barca knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League in the semi-finals, must have thought the same thing if he was watching the match on TV like hundreds of millions of others.



CURLING SHOT

Messi's goal -- his second against United in a Champions League final after his header in 2009 -- was a brilliantly executed 20-metre left-foot curling shot that spun away from diving goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar to put Barca back in front and really finished the game as a contest.

It was also, remarkably, his 53rd of the season, his 12th in the Champions League to equal the record set by Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002-03 and means he has now topped the Champions League scoring charts for the last three seasons.

The intriguing thing about that statistic is that Messi is not an out-and-out centre forward because Barcelona's approach echoes the way Hungary played in their golden years of the early 1950s and Ajax Amsterdam did in the era of 'Total Football'.

Hungary bamboozled opponents at the time when Nandor Hidegkuti played as a deep-lying centre-forward, leaving defenders perplexed about who to mark.

Johan Cruyff was nominally Ajax's target man, but was in fact the creator who went all over the pitch, like Messi, deep into midfield, or wide on the flanks.

Fast forward 40 years to Saturday at Wembley and United's central defenders Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand were left marking empty spaces with Messi playing so far deep he was in his own half at times.

But then when he, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Villa burst through to attack, their wonderful passing leaves opponents straining every last muscle to prevent them running riot.

Many people, including Dutch great Marco Van Basten, have called this Barca team the greatest club side of all time.

That may be a little premature considering Real Madrid's all-conquering side of the 1950s which won the first five European Cups, or the Ajax or Bayern Munich teams that won hat-tricks of titles.

But Van Basten is as good a judge as any, having been a European champion with AC Milan in 1989 and 1990, though he was no longer in the team that beat Barca 4-0 in 1994 -- the last great exhibition in a European Cup final before Saturday.

Barcelona might yet have to emulate Milan's feat as the last team to win successive finals to start deserving that accolade.

But there is little doubt they can -- and there is little doubt too that with good health and no serious injuries to stop him, Messi has many more years left to win many more honours.

He is already pulling up his chair to join the greats and may possibly end up taking a place at the head of the table.

Barcelona take their place among the all-time greats

© Reuters Pep Guardiola may deny all comparisons with the past but the breathtaking display of his Barcelona prodigies in the Champions League final has confirmed the elevation of his team into the soccer stratosphere.

Their 3-1 demolition of English Premier League champions Manchester United at Wembley, of all places, was a masterful demonstration of soccer played at the most sublime level.

Barcelona coach Guardiola, collecting his second Champions League crown in three years, has produced a team of talents who can now stand comparison with those wonder sides of the past -- Real Madrid, Ajax Amsterdam and AC Milan.

In United, Barcelona had opponents who are hardly nobodies. This was their third Champions League final in four years, they have just won the Premier League by nine points and they boast in Wayne Rooney one of the best players in the world.

Yet United, in a Wembley stadium with 'home' fans far outnumbering Catalan followers, could manage just 37 percent possession, muster only one shot on goal and not earn a single corner, so much did they fall under the spell of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and their supporting cast.

It was the most comprehensively magical display in a European final since AC Milan trounced Barcelona 4-0 17 years ago in Athens.

When Barca play the way they did on Saturday it is hard to imagine any team surviving their onslaught. The close control in tight situations, swift inter-passing movement and clever working of spaces to create chances are simply devastating.

They force opposition fans to look on with jaws dropped in admiration of football played at a level of skill and sophistication one would not even dare dream about.

Beaten Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson acknowledged their pre-eminence. "In my time as manager I'd say they are the best team I've faced." he said. "Nobody's given us a hiding like that but they deserve it because they play the right way and they enjoy their football."

Barcelona certainly play with a joy which echoes the truly great teams of the past.



SIMILAR VERVE

The Real Madrid side which won the first five editions of the European Cup between 1956 and 1960, culminating in a 7-3 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1960 final, played with similar verve.

Ferenc Puskas scored four and Alfredo Di Stefano three that day in a display of attacking flair which set a benchmark for European club football.

Ajax, with Johan Cruyff in his pomp and Johan Neeskens in close support, were the next great team to enchant neutral fans with three consecutive European titles in the early 1970s.

Their "Total Football", which saw players constantly switching position and mesmerising opponents, was a spectacular tactical innovation which changed the game forever.

The AC Milan side which won the European Cup in 1989 and 1990 is probably the only team since to inspire the same kind of awe. That side, built around the Dutch trio of Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, matched skill and athleticism to produce classic entertainment.

Barcelona have still to amass the titles of these illustrious predecessors. Competition is undoubtedly tougher these days and it is notable that no team has ever won the Champions League twice in succession since it was introduced in the 1992-93 season.

But Barca have now won two of the last three European titles and three in six seasons and it would be rash to think that Messi, at just 23, will have stopped inspiring his team to collect ever more trophies.

'Brilliant' Barca celebrate doing it their way

© Reuters
Barcelona's players were overjoyed to have shown off their dazzling brand of soccer to win the Champions League on Saturday with a performance that left even opponents Manchester United spellbound.

The Spanish champions threw coach Pep Guardiola in the air and cut out the net from one of the Wembley goals as they celebrated winning a fourth European Cup with a mesmerising display of their fantastic passing game in a 3-1 victory.

"The people watching could see that we not only won but we played a brilliant match," Guardiola told Spanish television.

Defender Javier Mascherano agreed, telling Sky television: "We are happy because we played in the way we know to play."

United manager Alex Ferguson reckoned his side had been beaten by "the best team we have faced" and there could be no humiliation in losing.

"From time to time you come up against a team far better than you and tonight was that night," Ferguson told ITV television. "They are at a tremendous peak in the cycle of their team. There are teams that elevate themselves to that status.

"Today we were beaten by the best team in Europe and there is no shame in that."

Hot favourites for the title from the start of the season, Barca were thrilled to have lived up to expectations and win a trophy Guardiola said required "a hell of a lot of effort".

"We knew the potential we had and we just had to make the most of it," forward David Villa, who scored an 18-metre curler for Barca's third goal, told Spanish television.

"It's been a great deal of work... To be happier right now would be impossible."

The trophy was lifted by fullback Eric Abidal, who was handed the honour by captain Carles Puyol after the Frenchman's recovery from surgery on a liver tumour in March.

"Three months ago, Abidal had a cancer and he suffered and (so did) his family," Guardiola told ITV.

"He recovered and I think we all showed, his team mates, to the club and to the rest of the world, the level of the human being that is this guy. As coach it is a privilege to train these guys."



BETTER SIDE

United, outplayed for so much of the game, could have no complaints but took some comfort from giving a better account of themselves than in their defeat by Barca in the 2009 final.

"I think we gave it a better shot than we did last time," centre back Rio Ferdinand told Sky.

"Although the scoreline was 3-1 we did have quite a few opportunities... but it wasn't to be. You've certainly got to give credit to them, they were the better side on the night.

He added his team could have dealt better with a couple of the goals but that the "sucker punch" had been Lionel Messi's strike early in the second half that pulled Barcelona ahead.

"They are a great side, great players, they have a way of playing they all know. It was up to us to combat that and we didn't do that," he told ITV.

United captain Nemanja Vidic said his side had not dealt with Barca's devastating movement on the ball.

"We didn't do what we should have done, we shouldn't have given them time on the ball which they had," he said. "When they have time on the ball, the final pass is easy."

Mascherano rubbed salt in United's wounds by dedicating the win to fans of his former club Liverpool -- United's arch rivals.

"After my exit they (Liverpool fans) were a little sad with me but this is for them as well," he said.

Messi evokes memories of Maradona and Villa at Wembley

© Reuters Barcelona's Lionel Messi brought back memories of outstanding performances by his Argentine compatriots Diego Maradona and Ricky Villa at Wembley with his match-winning display in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Messi got his first goal on English soil to put Barca 2-1 up against Manchester United after 54 minutes and created the third for David Villa with an outrageous shimmy, move and pass with 21 minutes left as they won 3-1 to claim their fourth European Cup.

The 23-year-old World Player of the Year was unplayable coming from deep positions to unsettle the United defence during a one-sided final in which he not only scored his 53rd goal of a remarkable season but also equalled Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of 12 Champions League goals in one campaign.

He made his mark at the same end of the pitch, albeit in the rebuilt Wembley, that Maradona and Villa did in the early 1980s.

Maradona, aged just 19 in May 1980, had already begun to make a name for himself starring for Argentina in the World Youth Cup when he played against England.

England won the friendly 3-1 but the lasting memory of the game was Maradona's brilliant performance, capped by an astonishing run through the defence in which he jinked this way and that before an audacious shot narrowly missed the goal when it bounced centimetres past the far post.

A year later Villa, playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the replayed FA Cup final against Manchester City, earned an everlasting place in English folklore with a goal that regularly wins the accolade of best ever scored in the final.

After a poor performance in the original game in which he was substituted, the tall bearded Argentine scored twice in the replay as Spurs won 3-2 -- the second a mazy jinking run through the City defence which ended with the match-winning goal.

Messi's strike was not as spectacular as Maradona's attempt or Villa's goal but his overall performance in Barcelona's outstanding victory will long be remembered in Buenos Aires and north London -- even if they would rather forget it in Manchester.

A new wizard for Wembley as Messi inspires Barcelona

DPA ©: Just before half-time Lionel Messi skipped past Nemanja Vidic with a flick of the outside of his right foot, held off the challenge of Michael Carrick and passed to David Villa in what seemed one flowing action.

Villa returned the ball across goal and Messi lunged inches away from the goal which would have put Barcelona 2-1 up at half-time.

The move encapsulated Messi's Wembley final, all shimmies and shuffles, feints and dummies, as the little Argentinian demonstrated to 87,695 spectators at Wembley Saturday and an estimated global television audience of more than 115 million why he is the world's best player.

The old Wembley had many heroes, not least of all winger Stanley Matthews whose performance for Blackpool in the 'Matthews Final' of 1953 is part of English football lore.

Now there is a Wembley wizard for the new incarnation of the stadium. If any player could rise to the occasion it was Messi, who struck with his left foot from the edge of the area nine minutes after the break to put Barcelona on the way to their fourth European title and their second in three years under coach Pep Guardiola.

It was a goal which broke a United side already reeling and left down and out when David Villa added a third in the 69th minute for a richly deserved 3-1 victory.

Already the Champions League leading scorer for three successive seasons, it was Messi's 12th Champions League goal in 13 matches, equalling a record set by Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy.

There was little doubt the man-of-the-match award was his. The world player of the year for the past two seasons now has a remarkable 53 goals in 55 games for the season.

Messi, who had scored with a wonderful mazy run and shot against Real Madrid in the semi-final first leg, a goal of Maradona dimensions, showed the comparisons with his great countryman are not misplaced, despite the player's own modesty.

"Even if I play for a million years I will never be near to what Maradona was as a footballer, and I don't want to be near," Messi had said before the game.

"He is the best player of all time. I don't compare myself with Maradona, I want to make my own history and do something important with my own career."

Now Messi is making history - his goal was, for one thing, his first on English soil - and United, who had also been looking like Barca for a fourth European title and a second at Wembley, were left to acknowledge his brilliance.

The victory was as clearcut as the 2-0 in Rome two years ago, and bore some similarities after United had enjoyed an encouraging first 10 minutes as they had at the Stadio Olimpico.

But Sir Alex Ferguson must have known it was going to be a long night after Barca began to take over the ball. Messi was the fulcrum, taking and giving passes, with Pedro and David Villa beginning to make dangerous runs inside from wide areas.

Vidic and Rio Ferdinand often found themselves having to make last-second blocks, or left to rely on Edwin van der Sar to save as Barca started to hit shots on goal or just wide.

It was little surprise when the Spanish champions took the lead, Xavi flicking a pass for Pedro to measure a shot past the Dutch keeper.

While Barca had Messi, United's own force of nature Wayne Rooney brought United briefly to life with an equalizer against the run of play, after combining well with Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs.

But it was a night in London when United had no answer to the irrepressible Messi, who almost struck again with an 18-metre shot kept out by the legs of Van der Sar and then saw a back flick cleared off the line.

Soon Messi was tormenting United again, getting past substitute Nani on the right in the lead up to the third goal. United's defence failed to clear and Sergio Busquets fed Villa who curled the ball into the top corner, with Van der Sar in his last game before retirement vainly diving to the left

It has been a watershed season for Messi in which Guardiola decided to bring him off the right wing and give him a free role. United, for all their preparations and lessons they thought they had learned from Rome, had no answers.

"It has been a great season," said Messi last week, "and the final at Wembley will be the culmination of it."

Not quite. He will take a short break in June then will fly off to Argentina for the Copa America tournament, keen to finally win something for his country after six years of frustration.

Q&A- How Man Utd might beat Barca in Champions League

© Reuters: Following is a Q&A on how Manchester United might trump Barcelona in Saturday's Champions League final at London's Wembley stadium:

Q. How should United start the match?

A. It will be crucial for Alex Ferguson's players to prevent Barca getting into their passing rhythm early, a task at which Real Madrid achieved partial success in some of the recent "Clasicos" when they came flying at Barca from the off.

United's midfielders and forwards will have to work like trojans to prevent Barca building from the back.

They will need to cut off outlets for goalkeeper Victor Valdes, close down the defenders and, above all, starve playmaker Xavi and his midfield partners Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta of possession.

Pushing up on Barca will also help prevent mobile fullbacks Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal getting forward and blunt one of the Catalan club's most potent weapons.

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Q. What should United do with the ball when they get it?

A. The English champions will almost certainly spend a lot of time chasing the ball but once they do get hold of it, they must get it to their pacy forwards as quickly as possible.

In Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez, United have exactly the type of players who can hurt Barca, whose likely central defensive pairing of captain Carles Puyol and former United player Gerard Pique are not the quickest in the game.

They have both been exposed this season by strong, swift attackers and once beaten lack the pace to get back and clear the danger. However, in Victor Valdes, Barca have one of the most effective performers around at dealing with one-on-one situations.

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Q. How on earth do you stop Messi?

A. The short answer is you can't. The World Player of the Year is just too fast and skillful so the key is to try as far as possible to prevent him getting the ball in the first place.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho converted centre back Pepe into a roving defensive midfielder for their recent matches against Barca and he was extremely effective at stopping their midfielders from finding Messi.

He also put in some robust challenges on the Argentina forward and United could task Michael Carrick or Park Ji-Sung with similar duties on Saturday.

It was no coincidence that in the semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu Messi's two goals came only after Pepe had been sent off.

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Q. Is it worth man-marking Xavi?

A. The Spain playmaker is a master at picking up the ball in tight central spaces, twisting and turning out of trouble and finding a killer pass that releases a team mate into a goal-scoring position.

However, there have been games in La Liga where opposing coaches have instructed a player to man-mark him and he has admitted that he doesn't like it.

Park would probably be best-suited among United's players for the job and his energy and bite could be enough to throw Xavi off his stride, a development that would certainly improve United's chances.

- - - -

Q. Are Barca susceptible under the high ball?

A. Barcelona have tightened up in defence this season mainly by extending their domination of possession which allows them to control the tempo of matches.

Corners and freekicks are one of the few occasions they cannot control what is happening and they have sometimes proved vulnerable in the air, especially if captain Puyol is not playing. Valdes is not always comfortable coming for crosses.

The relatively short Javier Mascherano, if he has to fill in at the back, and Alves are not strong under the high ball.

When United get the chance to break quickly, lofted passes to the back post could catch Barca on the hop, as was demonstrated in the King's Cup final when Cristiano Ronaldo outjumped Adriano to head the dramatic winning goal.

PREVIEW- United get second chance to pick Barcelona pocket

© Reuters: Barcelona must beware the artful dodgers of the Champions League in Saturday's final at Wembley where Manchester United will get a second chance to pick the pocket of Europe's classiest team.

United, who have snatched two Champions League final wins from what appeared to be certain defeats, were overwhelmed by Barca's precision passing game when the teams met in Rome in 2009, surrendering in a one-sided 2-0 defeat.

Two years on, the only certainty on the vast Wembley pitch is that the Spanish champions, boasting the world's best player in Lionel Messi, will again enjoy the bulk of possession.

But while Barcelona remain technically superior, no one could ever accuse wily United manager Alex Ferguson of failing to learn from his mistakes.

With England striker Wayne Rooney and the exciting Mexico forward Javier Hernandez among the talent at his disposal, an upset is far from beyond their grasp.

"We are not scared of Barcelona," South Korean midfielder Park Ji-sung, part of the team that lost to Barcelona two years ago, told reporters this week. "They are one of the best teams in the world, but we have our own quality."

United clearly do have quality but it will need temperament as well as talent to prevail in a battle between two clubs who each have three European Cup wins, and curiously enough won the first of them at the old Wembley Stadium.

Guardiola was part of the Barca side that triumphed at last in 1992, with a 1-0 victory over Sampdoria under the venue's famous Twin Towers.

It was back in 1968 when United won their first European Cup with a 4-1 Wembley victory, also in extra time, against Benfica.

The two subsequent wins for the English side have been a case of victories conjured from seemingly hopeless situations.

The first came at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium in 1999, when two last-gasp goals earned them a sensational 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in a match that had appeared lost.

In 2008, they were staring at defeat again when Chelsea captain John Terry had a chance to win the title in a penalty shootout in Moscow only to slip, miss and gift United the opportunity to win their third European Cup.



COMPREHENSIVE VICTORY

There was no such escape against Barca in Rome the following year, as Guardiola capped a perfect first season in charge by masterminding a comprehensive win over United that completed a treble of league, cup and Champions League.

If Barcelona are to be denied a third European title in six seasons -- they also beat Arsenal in 2006 under Frank Rijkaard -- United will have to be ruthless when chances come their way.

The quality of midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the beating heart of the Spain team that won the World Cup in South Africa, ensures Barca rarely cede control.

With Messi marauding through the middle it is inconceivable that United's defenders will have a carefree night.

The English side will rely on a rearguard built around the formidable central defensive pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, while 39-year-old Edwin van der Sar, who will retire after the match, will need to bow out on a high.

The Dutch keeper will certainly have work to do against a side that look irresistible in attack and reached the final via the toughest of routes, beating arch-rivals Real Madrid over two bruising semi-final legs while United strolled past Schalke 04.

Messi has scored 52 goals this season in all competitions and is top scorer in the Champions League with 11 in 12 games.

The Argentine maestro will play as part of a three-man attack alongside Pedro and David Villa, both members of the Spain team that enjoyed World Cup glory last year.

United's hopes of avenging the 2009 defeat will rest on their ability to pick holes in a Barcelona defence that does occasionally have a threadbare look about it.

Rooney has played himself into form following a very public wobble in his enthusiasm for playing for Manchester United and Hernandez, nicknamed 'Chicharito', or 'Little Pea', has enjoyed a superb first season at the Old Trafford club.

With Welsh midfielder Ryan Giggs playing as well as ever, despite the tide of newspaper stories about his private life, United will rightly feel from overwhelmed going into Saturday's rematch, where they enjoy home country advantage.

The winners will lift their fourth European Cup in total and join Real Madrid and AC Milan as three-times winners in the Champions League era starting in 1992-93.

A United victory would take Ferguson level with Bob Paisley of Liverpool as the only manager to win the competition three times.

For Guardiola, it would be a second Champions League title in just three seasons as a coach while confirming Barcelona as one of the great sides of this or any era.

Probable teams:

Manchester United: 1-Edwin van der Sar; 20-Fabio, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 15-Nemanja Vidic (captain), 3-Patrice Evra; 25-Antonio Valencia, 16-Michael Carrick, 11-Ryan Giggs, 13-Park Ji-Sung; 10-Wayne Rooney, 14-Javier Hernandez.

Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Daniel Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol, 22-Eric Abidal; 16-Sergio Busquets, 6-Xavi, 8-Andres Iniesta; 17-Pedro, 10-Lionel Messi, 7-David Villa.

Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

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A look back at Wembley's five European Cup finals

© Reuters : Wembley Stadium will stage the European Cup/Champions League final for a record extending sixth time on Saturday when Barcelona play Manchester United.

No other stadium has staged as many as its five finals, all of which were played at the original Wembley with Saturday's the first there since it reopened after being rebuilt in 2007.

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The previous finals were:

MAY 22 1963: AC MILAN 2 BENFICA 1

AC Milan became the first Italian club to lift the European Cup and ended Benfica's hopes of a hat-trick of trophies in front of 45,000 in a match played on a Wednesday afternoon.

Eusebio, who had scored Benfica's last two goals in their 5-3 win over Real Madrid, gave his side the lead after 18 minutes but Jose Altafini struck twice in the second half to give Milan victory. The Italians were skippered by Cesare Maldini, the father of future Milan legend Paolo.



MAY 29 1968: MANCHESTER UNITED 4 BENFICA 1

Ten years after his team were decimated by the Munich air disaster, Matt Busby led Manchester United to their first European Cup success and again Benfica lost at Wembley.

Munich survivor Bobby Charlton scored twice, George Best slotted home a superb solo effort and Brian Kidd claimed the other goal on his 19th birthday as United, in an all-blue strip, earned a memorable extra-time success.



JUNE 2 1971: AJAX AMSTERDAM 2 PANATHINAIKOS 0

Ajax's domination of Europe under Johan Cruyff began when they won the first of their hat-trick of titles against Panathinaikos. the unlikely finalists from Greece whose manager Ferenc Puskas was at the heart of Real Madrid's domination of the competition more than a decade earlier.

Dick Van Dijk scored after five minutes and Arie Haan struck three minutes from time as Rinus Michels guided Ajax to victory.



MAY 10 1978: LIVERPOOL 1 CLUB BRUGES 0

Kenny Dalglish, who had made his debut for Liverpool at Wembley in the Charity Shield against Manchester United the previous August, sealed a glorious first season at the club with the winner against Bruges as Bob Paisley coached Liverpool to successive European Cup triumphs.

Dalglish had a tough act to follow, succeeding fans' favourite Kevin Keegan who had inspired Liverpool to their first European Cup success the previous year before leaving for SV Hamburg. Thirty-three years on, Dalglish is still at the Merseyside club, in his second spell as manager.



May 20 1992: BARCELONA 1 SAMPDORIA 0

Unlike arch-rivals Real Madrid, Barcelona failed to make a real impact on the European Cup with defeats in 1961 and 1986 all they had for their efforts until Ronald Koeman blasted home an unstoppable extra-time shot after a quick Hristo Stoichkov freekick against Sampdoria to send the Barca fans into ecstasy.

Cruyff, who lifted the European Cup as an Ajax player at Wembley in 1971, managed the Barcelona side, which included current manager Pep Guardiola, to victory. Roberto Mancini, who managed Manchester City to victory in the FA Cup final at Wembley this month, captained the losing Sampdoria team.

Barcelona and Manchester United previous finals

© Reuters :Barcelona and Manchester United have featured in 10 previous European Cup/Champions League finals between them including the 2009 final when Barcelona beat United 2-0 in Rome.

They also met each other in the 1991 European Cup Winners Cup final which Manchester United won 2-1.

A look at their previous appearances in the elite competition:



BARCELONA

Berne, May 31 1961: BENFICA 3 BARCELONA 2

Real Madrid ruled European soccer from the time the European Cup started in 1955, until their arch-rivals Barcelona beat them 4-3 on aggregate in a second-round tie in November 1960 to end their reign.

Barcelona, however, could not assume Real's mantle as European kings. Despite taking a 20th-minute lead against Benfica in the 1961 final through Sandor Kocsis, they ended up losing 3-2 to Benfica and had to wait more than three decades to emulate Real's success.



Seville, May 7 1986: STEAUA BUCHAREST 0, BARCELONA 0

(Steaua won 2-0 on penalties)

A quarter of a century on and this defeat still ranks as one of the greatest upsets in European soccer and one of the most galling for Barcelona fans to stomach.

Managed by Englishman Terry Venables, Barcelona had had a roller-coaster ride to the final, but had knocked out reigning champions Juventus along the way and were hot favourites to succeed in Seville.

However, Steaua goalkeeper Helmut Duckadam had the game of his life and Barcelona could not even find the net in the penalty shootout.



London, May 20 1992: BARCELONA 1 SAMPDORIA 0

Barcelona finally achieved the Holy Grail by lifting the European Cup in the last European Champions Cup final before the competition became known as the Champions League the following season.

Dutchman Ronald Koeman blasted home the only goal eight minutes from the end of extra time at Wembley Stadium as Barcelona lifted the yoke that had hung so heavily since Real Madrid won the first European Cup in 1956.



Athens, May 18 1994: AC MILAN 4 BARCELONA 0

Two years after being crowned European champions, Barcelona were humbled by Fabio Capello's AC Milan who overcame the absence of suspended defenders Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta, and ran riot in Athens, leading 3-0 after 47 minutes with two goals from Daniele Massaro and one from Dejan Savicevic.

Marcel Desailly put the outcome beyond doubt with Milan's fourth after 58 minutes as Johan Cruyff's "dream team" crashed to defeat.



Paris, May 17, 2006: BARCELONA 2 ARSENAL 1

With 14 minutes to play at the Stade de France, Arsenal, who had played most of the match with 10 men after goalkeeper Jens Lehmann became the first player sent off in a European Cup final, were on their way to becoming the first side from London to win the competition thanks to a first-half header from Sol Campbell.

Barcelona though, had been outstanding throughout the competition and clicked into top gear when Henrik Larsson came on as a substitute midway through the second half, creating the goals for Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti, who squeezed in the winner from an acute angle nine minutes from time.



Rome, May 27 2009: BARCELONA 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 0

Barcelona became the first Spanish club to win a treble of the Champions League and the domestic double when they got the better of holders Manchester United at the Olympic Stadium after Eto'o's 10th-minute opener.

The match was billed as a showdown between Barca's Argentine genius Lionel Messi and United's Portuguese hero Cristiano Ronaldo, and it was Messi who emerged victorious, scoring Barca's second with a rare header 20 minutes from time.



MANCHESTER UNITED

London, May 29 1968: MANCHESTER UNITED 4 BENFICA 1

One of European soccer's most famous matches ended in an emphatic 4-1 extra-time victory for United who were crowned kings of Europe just 10 years after the Munich air disaster all but wiped out the Busby Babes.

Manager Matt Busby spent the next decade re-building his club and his team and they emerged victorious with Bobby Charlton, who survived the plane crash, scoring twice, George Best once and Brian Kidd once, on his 19th birthday.

It could all have been very different though, if Eusebio, clean through on goal in the dying minutes, had not fired straight into the arms of United keeper, Alex Stepney.



Barcelona, May 26 1999: MANCHESTER UNITED 2 BAYERN MUNICH 1

United staged the greatest comeback in a European final as goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in stoppage time after the 90 minutes were up, gave them victory over Bayern who had led with a sixth-minute goal from Mario Basler.

UEFA president Lennart Johansson has told the story many times of how, when he left the VIP box to prepare to present the cup, Bayern were winning and by the time he got down in the lift to pitch level, he had missed both goals and United had won. It would have been Busby's 90th birthday.



Moscow, May 21 2008: MANCHESTER UNITED 1 CHELSEA 1

(Manchester United won 6-5 on penalties)

Another United win, another night of unrelenting drama in Moscow's rain-lashed Luzhniki Stadium as the first all-English final and the first in Russia ended in a stalemate after 120 minutes with Ronaldo and Frank Lampard both scoring in the first half.

The match was finally settled by penalties. After Ronaldo failed with his kick, Chelsea skipper John Terry only had to score his to give Chelsea victory, but he slipped as he shot and the ball went wide. Edwin Van der Sar finally sealed the victory when he saved Nicolas Anelka's effort.

Rome, May 27, 2009 BARCELONA 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 0

See above. Barcelona are looking for a repeat, United looking for revenge.

Barcelona, Manchester United structure, finances

© Reuters: The following factbox compares the structure and finances of Barcelona and Manchester United, the second- and third-richest clubs by revenue, who meet in Saturday's Champions League final at Wembley stadium:



STRUCTURE

Barcelona is one of four top-flight Spanish clubs owned by its members (along with Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna). It has about 170,000 members and declares it is "more than a club" thanks to a strong emphasis on charitable work and its status as a symbol of Catalan nationalism.

United belongs to the American Glazer family, owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Football League team, who bought the English champions in 2005 for about 800 million pounds ($1.3 billion).

The club sits at the top of a web of subsidiaries but is ultimately dependent on a corporate entity based in Nevada in the United States called Red Football General Partner Inc.



REVENUES

Barca earned 398.1 million euros ($560 million) in the 2009/10 season, putting it second on Deloitte's ranking of the richest clubs by revenue behind Spanish rivals Real Madrid, who made 439 million euros. United were third with 350 million.

Barca's revenue has increased from 259 million in 2006, while United's has grown from 243 million over the same period.

The Catalan club's main source of income by far last season was from broadcast rights (178.1 million euros) while commercial revenue was 122.2 million and matchday income 97.8 million.

United's earnings were more evenly spread -- broadcast 128 million, matchday 122.4 million and commercial 99.4 million.



EXPENDITURE, NET INCOME AND DEBT

Barca's operating costs in the 2009/10 season were 459.2 million euros, or 115.3 percent of revenue, compared with 284.1 million for United, or 81.1 percent.

The Spanish club spent 234.8 million on personnel and players, while United's outlay was 161.1 million.

Barca made a net loss of 79.6 million euros, although club officials expect it to return to profit again this season, and United made a net profit of 20.5 million.

Barca's total debt was 548.6 million last season, compared with United's 975 million.



SHIRT SPONSORS

Barca, who previously paid UNICEF to display the organisation's name on their shirts, broke with tradition this season and signed their first commercial shirt sponsorship deal.

The agreement with Qatar Sports Investment guarantees them 165 million euros through to the end of the 2015/16 campaign and is the biggest of any reported shirt sponsorship deal.

United secured a new agreement with Aon Corporation which came into effect for the 2010/11 season and is worth 23.6 million euros.

----

Sources: "FC Barcelona vs Manchester United, Quintaesencia de club ante capitalismo financiero a ultranza," Jose Maria Gay de Liebana y Saludas, University of Barcelona, May 2011; "The Untouchables", Football Money League 2011, Deloitte; SPORT+MARKT European Jersey Report, October 2010.

Barcelona's Spain crop on cusp of near-perfect year

© Reuters:
For the eight Spain internationals in Barcelona's probable starting 11 for Saturday's Champions League final, victory over Manchester United at Wembley would put a gilt edge on an already spectacularly successful year.

Goalkeeper Victor Valdes, defenders Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, midfielders Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta and forwards Pedro and David Villa -- the only one of the group who is not a product of Barca's youth school -- came away from last year's World Cup in South Africa with winners medals.

They have since added the Spanish Super Cup and the Spanish league title, the club's third in a row, and narrowly missed out on a King's Cup triumph when they were beaten 1-0 in the final by great rivals Real Madrid.

At only 22, Busquets has already won more titles than most professionals dream of -- 10 in three seasons including the 2009 Champions League -- and has a chance at Euro 2012 with defending champions Spain to win the only major title that eludes him.

"It's a dream," Busquets, whose goalkeeper father Carles played for Barca in the 1990s, told Reuters in an interview earlier this year.

"Of course you never think that everything will go so well, that you could achieve so much in so little time," he added.

"But when you look at the team and its philosophy and then at how it all turned out, well, it was normal."

Playmaker Xavi, who turned 31 in January, is the creative engine at the heart of the Spain and Barca teams and preventing him from exerting his customary control will be key to United's chances of success on Saturday.

Together with Iniesta, he was on a shortlist of three for this year's World Player of the Year award that went to club team mate Lionel Messi for a second consecutive year.



SOMETHING EXTRA

One of the reasons for the recent success of Spain and Barca is the close relationship between the players who learned their trade in the Catalan club's famed "La Masia" youth school, which also produced current coach Pep Guardiola, Xavi said this week.

"Playing with people who come from within the club gives you something extra," Xavi said in an interview with Spanish daily El Pais.

"We have a very good relationship on and off the pitch. We invite each other round to our houses, we do things together away from football," he added.

"I have never experienced that before and I have been here for 13 years. The players from the youth system provide commitment and continuity."

Like Xavi, Iniesta has been instrumental in an historic year for Spanish soccer, managing to stay free of the injuries that have dogged his career and netting the dramatic winning goal against Netherlands in the World Cup final in Johannesburg.

Despite the success, he has not lost the hunger to add to his 16 career titles, including two Champions Leagues and five domestic leagues with Barca and the world and European championships with Spain.

"The European Cup is a very special competition, very attractive, that gives us all an extra motivation," the 27-year-old, who became a father for the first time this year, told Barca TV last week.

"I have always seen it as something special and I feel priveleged to to have been able to enjoy playing in Champions League games and have the good fortune to win two titles."

Upstart Guardiola locks horns with warhorse Ferguson

© Reuters: Saturday's Champions League final again pits the young Barcelona pretender who has enjoyed swift and spectacular success against the battle-hardened warhorse who survived an inauspicious start to become Britain's most successful manager.

Former Barca midfielder Josep "Pep" Guardiola, 40, took over as coach in June 2008, leading the club to an unprecedented treble of Spanish league and cup and European Champions League in his first season in charge.

His lavishly-praised side, who overcame Alex Ferguson's United 2-0 in the final of Europe's elite club competition in 2009, have gone on to win two more Spanish league titles, as well as the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

Ferguson moved on from a playing and coaching career in his native Scotland to managing United in 1986 and, since claiming the FA Cup a barren four years later, the 69-year-old has won more than 30 trophies, including 12 domestic league titles, four more FA Cups and two Champions Leagues.

Ferguson's success and the strength of his personality have helped him to forge a seemingly unassailable position at the English Premier League club and he has defied his critics and the march of time to remain at the helm while many others have fallen by the wayside.

He has done so while often risking the wrath of the fans, releasing crowd favourites such as Paul Ince and David Beckham when he felt the time was right as, during his remarkable 25-year stint, he has overseen the rebuilding process from one great team to another with barely a dip in between.

Guardiola earned his status as a Barcelona club hero while still a player and his performance as coach has put him in an unusually stable position in a country where clubs hire and fire with alarming regularity.

"Alex Ferguson has won absolutely everything. He lives for his club and he is an example for other coaches," Shakhtar Donetsk boss Mircea Lucescu said on UEFA.com this week.

"The same goes for Josep Guardiola," the Romanian added. "He grew up in Barcelona and he spent most of his life with the club, so he shares their philosophy.

"You can hardly imagine either coach going off to sign for someone else."



KILLER BLOW

As a product of Barca's youth system, Guardiola has played and coached only one basic style: keep possession, make the other team chase the ball and carve open defences with a swift interchange of short passes or a perfectly weighted assist.

Ferguson, by contrast, tends to field more muscular teams, with tall, burly centre backs and combative midfielders feeding pacy forwards who can destroy opponents with devastating counter-attacks.

In the 2009 final, United rocked Barca in the early stages with their harrying and chasing and Samuel Eto'o's opening goal in the 10th minute was against the run of play.

Once Barca get ahead they are masters at holding on to the ball and wearing down opponents before dealing a killer blow, as in Rome when Lionel Messi struck with a header to end United's hopes of a comeback.

"Barcelona's forte is possession, controlling the direction and rhythm of the game; they know exactly what they have to do," Lucescu said.

"United are a better-built team physically, with fast players who can play direct football.

"They are dangerous going upfield quickly and on the counter-attack. That power could decide this match, and they also have the advantage of playing in England."



SHORT FUSE

As well as a 29-year age gap, Guardiola and Ferguson have starkly contrasting personalities.

The quietly-spoken, elegantly-attired Guardiola rarely loses his cool and is respectful towards opponents in both victory and defeat.

Ferguson has a short fuse and his gruff, intimidating manner has led to many clashes with journalists and officials.

Despite his age he remains as animated as ever on the sidelines, wildly celebrating goals while furiously berating officials over perceived injustices.

Barca defender Gerard Pique, the only man to have played under both Guardiola and Ferguson thanks to his stint at United between 2004 and 2008, singles out one character trait he says both coaches possess.

"Guardiola and Ferguson are two born motivators," he said this week.

The Spanish World Cup-winner has fond memories of his time at United, despite not getting as much time on the pitch as he would have liked.

"To me, I have always said, he (Ferguson) was like a second father," he told Barca TV in October.

"My family was in Barcelona and I was on my own and he helped me in every aspect, not only professionally but also personally."

(Additional reporting by Mitch Phillips in London)

World awaits mouth-watering Champions League final

© Reuters: All the ingredients are in place for a classic Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday when millions of fans around the world will settle down to dine on what should be a rare footballing feast.

Barcelona, champions of Spain, seeking their second European crown in three years after their victory over Manchester United in 2009, and United, Premier League champions in pursuit of their second in four having beaten Chelsea on penalties in 2008.

The coruscating passing patterns Barcelona have weaved to reach their second final in three years have brought them accolades from far and wide and not even the most dyed-in-the-wool dissenters have raised much objection to their being described as the best club team there has ever been.

Standing four-square in front of them are Manchester United, long vying with the Spaniards for the unofficial title of the world's most popular club and now returning to the site of their first European Cup 43 years ago, albeit a rebuilt Wembley.

Barcelona hold the ace in the pack in the shape of Lionel Messi, a giant of the sport to rank alongside the mighty triumvirate of Pele, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff and scorer of an incredible 52 goals this season.

His second in the semi-final win over Real Madrid compares with the best of any of those great players and, having failed to live up to expectations at last year's World Cup, Messi is due a performance to grace the biggest of club stages.

Surrounding him is the bulk of Spain's World Cup and European Championship-winning team, players who have forged a bond of telepathic understanding that enables them to mesmerise world class opponents with the relentless speed and accuracy with which they fizz the ball between them.

United cannot claim to match those talents but the 2008 winners and Premier League champions have their own way of winning big matches.

The all-action, raw power of Wayne Rooney, the natural finishing of Javier Hernandez, the midfield energy of Park Ji-sung, the vast experience of Ryan Giggs, the granite defending of Nemanja Vidic and the reliable goalkeeping of Edwin van der Sar, making his final appearance before retiring at the age of 40, combine to make a formidable unit.

They also have Alex Ferguson, the man who dragged the club back from their self-flagellating role as England's fallen giants into their current position as a team who expect to be challenging for, and winning, the Champions League every season.

Barcelona's fledgling but already hugely successful manager Pep Guardiola will relish pitting his wits against Ferguson, a man he respects and admires, but in truth his team virtually runs itself while it is the Scot who will have to come up with the answers on Saturday.

Ferguson's pride in the name of United will make it hard for him to go in to the match thinking of how to stop the opposition, but realistically that is their key task.

He knows United will get enough of the ball enough times to create problems, especially on the break, and that he has players of the right quality to take the chances that will come.

But in between there will be long spells of Barcelona dominance, triangles of crisp, one-touch passing and the constant probing of Messi.

How his players deal with that and where they allow it to happen will go a long way to deciding the outcome.

Probable teams

Manchester United: 1-Edwin van der Sar; 20-Fabio, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 15-Nemanja Vidic (captain), 3-Patrice Evra; 25-Antonio Valencia, 16-Michael Carrick, 11-Ryan Giggs, 13-Park Ji-Sung; 10-Wayne Rooney, 14-Javier Hernandez.

Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Daniel Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol, 22-Eric Abidal; 16-Sergio Busquets, 6-Xavi, 8-Andres Iniesta; 17-Pedro, 10-Lionel Messi, 7-David Villa.

Stage set for Champions League final battle of wits

DPA © Barcelona and Manchester United will be expected to serve up a thriller as they each seek to become European champions for the fourth time in Saturday's showpiece at Wembley.

A more cautious battle of wits may be more the order of the day as two sides try to find the solutions needed to cancel out the considerable threats of their opponents in a Champions League final repeat of 2009.

Barcelona showed in that 2-0 victory through goals by Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi that they had more than the measure of United that night in Rome.

As a result, and from the fact that there has been no waning of form since then, Barcelona will start the London re-match as favourites.

However, United are oozing confidence after winning a record 19th league title and may feel destiny is on their side as they return to the scene of their first European Cup triumph in 1968.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes Barcelona are an even better team than they were in 2009, but says his own squad has gained in experience and learnt from past mistakes in Europe.

He looks back to two other meetings with Barcelona in the 2008 semi-final, when United were able to keep a pair of clean sheets, as templates to counter the Catalans.

"We showed fantastic concentration in those two ties," he said. "That is the key for us. It is an important issue in terms of Saturday."

Ferguson recognizes the danger of Messi who tops the competition's goalscoring list with 11 goals, but says Barcelona will also be aware of United's threats.

"We have played against Barcelona three times and there's always a solution to every good player," he said.

"We hope we can find a solution for Messi on Saturday. You have to recognise they have other good players and we have other good players. That's why it's such a thrilling game on Saturday. I'm sure Barcelona are aware of the threats we have."

Ferguson, 69, told UEFA.com that experience "has acquitted us well for European football now" and that the players were more patient and playing with higher levels of concentration.

Recalling the Rome final he said: "We could have been a couple of goals up in the first 15 minutes but when we lost the goal, there was an indication of how Barcelona play today because Messi was a central striker on that particular day with Eto'o playing wide right and Thierry Henry wide left."

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola says Ferguson has the greater strength in depth in his squad, as shown in United's semi-final elimination of Schalke 6-1. Having won 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen, Ferguson made nine changes for the second leg which United won 4-1.

"I can't make nine changes to my team because we have a small squad, but they have so much quality - (Dimitar) Berbatov, Chicharito (Javier Hernandez), (Wayne) Rooney, (Paul) Scholes, (Ryan) Giggs - they have so many players to choose from," Guardiola said.

Messi has also predicted Saturday's showdown is unlikely to be a repeat of the final two years ago.

"All finals are different and this will be a totally different game to that one - United have changed (some of) their players and it will be different," he said.

"They are not weak; they have very good players and a lot of quality up front - and they are used to winning."

Real Madrid seek repeat of 2002 win in Barcelona

DPA © Real Madrid will need a heroic performance as they seek to repeat a 2002 Champions League semi-final win against Barcelona when the teams meet in Tuesday's second leg.

   Real lost last week's first leg 2-0 at home to Barca but are determined to repeat their feat of nine years ago when they won 2-0 in the first leg in Camp Nou.

   They then drew the second leg 1-1 to reach the final, where they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in Glasgow for their record ninth triumph.


"Real Madrid is a team accustomed to heroics," said Jorge Valdano, Real's general director.

"We have hope for Tuesday. The players will make a special effort."

   Defender Sergio Ramos said: "We have to be aware of the difficulties, but it is not impossible. We will have to give it everything in Barcelona."

Ramos is suspended for the second leg, along with Pepe, whose sending-off in the first leg provoked a maelstrom of accusations and acrimony.

   Coach Jose Mourinho was sent off for protesting Pepe's red card, and then accused UEFA of giving Barcelona "special treatment." He will be up in the Camp Nou stands rather than on the bench.

   The Portuguese coach will need a more adventurous strategy than in the first leg, when his team had only 21-per-cent possession - and managed just one shot on goal.

   He is considering bringing in either Karim Benzema or Emmanuel Adebayor to support Cristiano Ronaldo in attack, as well as replacing midfielder Mesut Oezil with fit-again Kaka.

   Barca will again field a makeshift defence due to injuries. Gabriel Milito, Eric Abidal and Adriano are all out, though Carles Puyol and Maxwell will probably be fit.

   Coach Pep Guardiola will probably put Puyol at left-back, with Javier Mascherano alongside Gerard Pique in the heart of the defence.

   Andres Iniesta, who missed the first leg with a pulled muscle, will probably be on the subs' bench. His place in midfield will be taken either by Seydou Keita or Ibrahim Afellay, who looked lively when he came off the bench in the first leg.

   Barca would like a calm match after all the bitterness and recriminations of the first leg.

   Club president Sandro Rosell said: "I would like to ask the fans for civility, we have to give a good example by not rising to the provocations that they (Real) have made, as they have been doing for a while now."

   Rosell, whose friendship with Real president Florentino Perez has been damaged by recent events, added that "I do not like the ambience that has been created from the other side (Madrid)."

UEFA rejects Real Mardid, Barcelona protests

DPA © UEFA has turned down pleas from Real Madrid and Barcelona for additional investigations into their ill-tempered Champions League semi-final, the ruling body said on Monday.

UEFA said in a statement that its disciplinary committee will, as planned, on Friday deal with six charges against the two clubs around last Wednesday's first-leg game which Barcelona won 2-0 in Madrid.

Five are directed against Real, including two against coach Jose Mourinho, one against Barca.

Barcelona had lodged an individual complaint against Mourinho who alleged after the game that Barca received preferential treatment. Real, for their part, accused three Barca players of feigning injuries, and protested a red card shown to their player Pepe.

While UEFA said that Barca's complaint was covered by its own investigation, it rejected Real's protests.

"In the case of the behaviour of the Barcelona players, it was deemed that there was no common strategy to provoke the Real Madrid player, while in the case of Pepe, the referee's factual decision is upheld," UEFA said.

The statement said that Pepe remains suspended for Tuesday's return leg in Barcelona. Mourinho will also have to watch from the stands because he was ordered away from the touchline after protesting Pepe's red card.

Possible further sanctions against Pepe and Mourinho will be decided on Friday, when UEFA also looks into Madrid fans throwing missiles onto the pitch and invading it.

Barca will learn about the fate of their reserve goalkeeper Jose Pinto, who was sent off for his role in a brawl as the teams were heading into the dressing room after the halftime whistle.

Real Madrid youngster Marcos arrested after fatal car accident

DPA © Spanish police said on Monday that Real Madrid youngster Marcos Alonso had been arrested after a fatal car accident earlier in the day.

Alonso, who is currently on loan to Premier League side Bolton Wanderers, will be charged with drunken driving after testing positive for alchohol.

A girl of 19 was killed in the accident, which occurred early on Monday in Madrid. Two other youngsters were injured but Alonso, who was driving the car, was unharmed.

Alonso, 20, is an overlapping left-back who made his debut for Real last season, before leaving for Bolton. He is the son of former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona winger Marcos, and the grandson of 1950s Real Madrid defender Marquitos.

Shock defeats for weary Barcelona and Real Madrid

DPA © Saturday was a day of surprises in the Spanish Liga, with twin giants Barcelona and Real Madrid both suffering shock defeats.

Barca crashed 2-1 at Real Sociedad, despite enjoying 80 per cent possession, Real went down 3-2 at home to lowly Zaragoza - with Angel Lafita sinking the whites with two goals.

Both giants looked tired after Wednesday's stormy Champions League clash between the two teams, which Barca won 2-0 in Madrid - and after all the controversy and acrimony surrounding that game.

Sociedad and Zaragoza are practically safe after their surprise wins.

Barca's second league defeat leaves them with 88 points from 34 games, eight more than Real, and four points away from their straight league title.

Youngster Thiago gave Barca the lead on the half hour with a precise lob, after a good move between Xavi and Lionel Messi.

The visitors seemed to be cruising towards another pleasant win, but supersub Diego Ifran made it 1-1 18 minutes from time with a cool finish.

Barca defender Gabriel Milito had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside, then Javier Mascherano committed a clumsy penalty which was converted by Sociedad's Xabi Prieto.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola said: "What has happened today is a good lesson for us. We are a team that can win and lose. We never took control in the second half, but I have nothing to reproach the players about."

Earlier on Saturday, Real had flopped for the fourth consecutive home match. The defeat against Zaragoza was more bad news for coach Jose Mourinho, who is due to receive a long suspension for his vitriolic outburst against UEFA following Wednesday's defeat against Barca.

There were some banners in the Estadio Bernabeu in support of Mourinho, who alleged that UEFA's referees systematically favour Barca, but possibly more revealing was the fact that around a third of the seats in the historic stadium were empty.

The Portuguese coach said afterwards: "This is my fault, obviously. Today I have not been capable of motivating my players sufficiently.

"In football, the difference in mental preparation is important, when one team is strong in terms of concentration and motivation but the other one isn't."

Mourinho raised eyebrows by leaving out Cristiano Ronaldo, which has been interpreted as punishment for the striker's criticizing Mourinho's ultra-defensive tactics on Wednesday.

Man-of-the-match Lafita gave Zaragoza the lead, against the run of play, just before half-time, after Real keeper Iker Casillas had made a real mess of a simple clearance.

Ten minutes into the second half Lafita was clumsily barged over in the box by the ageing Ricardo Carvalho, and Zaragoza captain Gabi calmly made it 2-0 from the resultant penalty.

Sergio Ramos gave Real hope by heading in a corner, but the impressive Lafita restored Zaragoza's two-goal lead 12 minutes from time.

Karim Benzema pulled another goal back for the hosts, but they were then crippled by the sending-off of Carvalho, a decision which predictably infuriated Mourinho.

Zaragoza then had to endure a furious but imprecise white assault in a frenetic finale.

Sunday's late game saw Atletico Madrid move up to fifth with a late 1-0 win at lowly Deportivo Coruna, thanks to a goal from Sergio Aguero just 10 minutes from time.

Atletico are now one point above sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao but five below fourth-placed Villarreal.

Deportivo, who had defender Albert Lopo sent off, are 14th and could fall to fourth from bottom if Sunday's results go against them.