F.C BARCELONA VS MANCHESTER UNITED F.CTwo of European football's most evocative names, the newly crowned champions of England and Spain, cross paths at the Stadio Olimpico with United aiming to become the first team in 19 years to successfully defend the European Champion Clubs' Cup and the first in the UEFA Champions League era. Having already lifted the Liga and Copa del Rey this month Barcelona have the chance to claim an unprecedented Spanish treble. It promises to be one of the more stylish gladiatorial contests staged in the city of the Colosseum, with Sir Alex Ferguson saying simply: "It has the capability to be a fantastic final."FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC will descend on Rome's Stadio Olimpico for the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League final each seeking to write another chapter in their long and rich history. In a city resonant with ancient glories, these two modern-day superpowers have their eyes on European club football's greatest prize.
History help
United have never lost a European Cup final while two of this competition's three previous showpiece matches in Rome ended in an English victory. According to Sir Alex, another success is essential to justify his club's ever-growing stature. "I've repeated many times we should have done better in Europe. To be in the pantheon of great teams, the prerequisite is to win this cup. It's an opportunity for us to go alongside a lot of the great teams. This team has that type of future – it's a young squad with the right type of experience which can do well in the next few years. Hopefully we can endorse that."
Barcelona and Manchester United each have a strong claim to the European Cup
• For Barcelona, victory would bring their third European crown – and earn coach Josep Guardiola a place on the privileged list of men who have won the trophy as both player and coach.
• Barcelona are seeking a third European Cup triumph in what is their sixth final. Their previous appearances were:1960/61 SL Benfica 2-3 lost1985/86 FC Steaua Bucureşti 0-0 (0-2 pens) lost1991/92 UC Sampdoria 1-0 won1993/94 AC Milan 0-4 lost2005/06 Arsenal FC 2-1 won
• The Catalan club advanced to Rome after Andrés Iniesta's strike three minutes into added time at Stamford Bridge earned them a 1-1 draw at semi-final opponents Chelsea FC and progress on away goals following a first-leg stalemate. Prior to that they had recorded emphatic aggregate victories against FC Bayern München (4-0 home, 1-1 away) and Olympique Lyonnais (1-1 away, 5-2 home) having topped Group C with a record of W4 D1 L1.
• Barcelona have hit 30 goals in 12 fixtures from the group stage onwards – a scoring rate of 2.5 per game. It is the most prolific goal output by any team en route to the final since United hit 27 in ten matches in 1998/99, a rate of 2.7 per match.
• Barcelona will hope the parallels with 1999 do not end there. Having already lifted the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Liga title, Guardiola's team can become the first Spanish treble winners with victory in Rome – a feat United achieved in 1999 after winning that year's UEFA Champions League final at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.
• Guardiola was a member of the first Barcelona team to win the European Cup with a 1-0 victory against Sampdoria at Wembley in 1992. He appeared in the final again two years later but finished on the losing side against Milan in Athens.
• If he leads Barcelona to the trophy, Guardiola will become the sixth man to have experienced European Cup success first on the pitch and then in the dugout. The five members of that exclusive club include the coaches of Barcelona's two previous winning teams:Miguel Muñoz, player with Real Madrid CF 1956,1957; coach with Madrid 1960, 1966.Giovanni Trapattoni, with Milan 1963, 1969; with Juventus 1985.Johan Cruyff, with AFC Ajax 1971, 1972, 1973; with Barcelona 1992.Carlo Ancelotti, with Milan 1989, 1990; with Milan 2003.Frank Rijkaard, with Milan 1989, 1990, with Ajax 1995; with Barcelona 2006.
GOOD LUCK FOR BARCELONA !! :d
