FC Barcelona 3 v Manchester U. 1
Saturday, 28 May
Competition: Champions | Stadium: Wembley
Match report
Preview
We owe you one
www.fcbarcelona.cat
“We owe you one”, said Guardiola during last season’s league title celebrations. 377 days later and he has the chance to keep his word at Wembley (20.45, R@dio Barça), where Barça are seeking their 4th Champions League title against Manchester United
Last season, FC Barcelona narrowly missed out on another final appearance. Josep Guardiola lamented that when celebrating their 2009/10 Liga title at the Camp Nou: “this Saturday we were meant to be somewhere, but we didn’t make it. We owe you one … and these players won’t let you down”. Pep and his squad have kept their word, and the club now has the chance to collect the trophy for the fourth time.
The fixture oozes symbolism. FC Barcelona and Manchester United meet tonight in the grand final at Wembley, the place where both clubs won Europe’s premier club competition for the first time. And they also meet again in a final for the second time in just three years, after Barcelona emerged triumphant in Rome in 2009.
All set
Josep Guardiola has his full squad available for this game, other than the suspended Pinto. Milito has been declared back to full fitness, and the manager has taken all the other 20 first team members plus Oier, Miño and Thiago from the B team. The biggest doubt surrounding team selection involves Puyol, Abidal and Mascherano, one of whom will play centre back and another at left back. But only two of the three are likely to feature in the starting eleven.
Man United hungry for revenge
But Alex Ferguson doesn’t have much to worry about in terms of injuries and suspensions either. He is also seeking the fourth Champions League for his club, and the third of his own, where his main concern is deciding whether to go into the game with one striker, or the two he usually opts for in the Premiership. Two years ago, Barcelona smothered the United midfield and brushed the English outfit aside for much of the second half.
After the double
Also, both Barça and Manchester United, having won their respective leagues, are going to Wembley to round off what would be almost perfect seasons. And the fact the venue is Wembley means a lot to both sets of fans. It was there that the United of Bobby Charlton and George Best won the club’s first European Cup in 1968, and it was also at the former Empire Stadium that the Dream Team under Cruyff made similar history in 1992. On Saturday, Barça or United will become the first European champions to be crowned at the newly rebuilt Wembley. This is the dream final, and the chance for one of these two great sides to secure an unforgettable double.
Credit: FC Barcelona (www.fcbarcelona.com)
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