Champions League

The Champions League reaches its climax on Wednesday evening when Barcelona meet Manchester United in the Italian capital...

Kick Off: Wednesday May 27, 2009. 20:45 CET. Stadio Olimpico, Rome

The champions of Spain meet the champions of England as Barcelona take on Manchester United in the Champions League final this Wednesday evening. Current holders United will be looking to become the first team since AC Milan in 1990 to retain the trophy whilst Barca can become the first Spanish side to ever win the treble if they triumph in Rome…

Super Spaniards

Pep Guardiola has already admitted that when this season began he couldn’t have imagined it would go this well, and it is fair to say that even the most passionate Barcelona supporter would not have predicted the success they would have this year. Not only have they won trophies, two of them to date, but they have won plenty of plaudits for their attractive brand of free-flowing football, and, to some, that is nearly as important as the silverware.

While arch-rivals Real Madrid have been making a habit out of winning however they can, Barca have been blitzing all-comers, both in Spain and in Europe. They might have needed some last minute magic from Andres Iniesta against Chelsea in the previous round but both Bayern Munich and Lyon can testify that the Catalans have more than matched their hype this year.

Naturally there is no guarantee that they will light up Rome as they have done the Camp Nou so many times this season but they certainly have the quality to put on a spectacle. The front three of Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi has been simply unstoppable this season and should they click against United then the Red Devils will be in trouble. Many of those in the famous blaugrana colours have stated already that they believe they deserve to lift the Champions League on Wednesday and, whilst few would deny them the glory, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men will be no pushovers.

Magical Manchester United

Indeed, whilst Barca have taken apart most of the competition in La Primera this year, United have done the same thing in England, romping to their third straight Premier League and hitting the 90 point mark in the process. As well as being domestic champions they are also the current holders of the Club World Cup and are defending League Cup champions, meaning they head into this encounter looking to win an amazing quadruple.

Like their opponents on Wednesday they have undoubtedly played some of the best football on the continent this season and their victory over Italian champions Inter Milan in the last sixteen was a demonstration of just how strong they are. Still undefeated in the competition this year they will be looking to add a fourth European Cup to their trophy cabinet and there is no doubt that there is history between these two superpowers.

Just last season the Catalans found themselves knocked out of the competition at the semi-final stage by United and even more memorably they were defeated in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup back in 1991 as Sir Alex won his first European silverware with the English club. The 67-year-old will become the second oldest coach in history should his team win on Wednesday and bearing in mind the season that the Red Devils have had, this one could be the icing on the cake.