Champions League Final Tonight: Manchester Utd - Barcelona

[Elano]

As Manchester United FC prepare for their 66th and final match of a mammoth and potentially momentous campaign, Sir Alex Ferguson has called for one more performance of "determination and courage" from a squad which has risen to every challenge this season.

'Character'
A far cry from the razzamatazz of Rome and a UEFA Champions League final against FC Barcelona, Sir Alex pointed to United's win at Stoke City FC on 26 December – which came after travelling back from their FIFA Club World Cup triumph in Yokohama – as a match which "showed the true character of the team". He said: "The team elevated themselves in accepting the challenge of going to Japan which was a big test for us. Everybody found it difficult sleeping over there and to come back and beat Stoke on Boxing Day was a fantastic win. When you have a bunch of players who are talented and don't want to lose, then that's special."

'Maturity'
Recent performances in Europe have also given Sir Alex renewed hope that United can become the first team in the UEFA Champions League era to win successive titles. "When the chips were down in Porto we rose to that, it was a fantastic performance," said the Scot of their last-eight decider in Portugal, adding of the semi-final: "In the second leg at Arsenal the team showed their capabilities again. They didn't play beyond themselves but to their capabilities and when they do that they're a very good team. What you see over the last year is maturity; we've won the league again and have a fantastic squad."

Rousing words
The squad may be the most talented ever assembled at Old Trafford, yet it is the manager who continues to drive them to greatness. Before the 1999 final victory against FC Bayern München at the Camp Nou, Sir Alex told his players that they would always regret it if they were able to get up close to the famous trophy without actually getting their hands on it. Rather than being carefully scripted, however, the 67-year-old revealed on the eve of the game that he had not "thought about one word" of what he would say before sending his players out at the Stadio Olimpico. "These things usually happen to me about three in the morning when I am trying to get some inspiration from the deep chambers of my tiny little brain," he said, "but at the moment nothing is coming out."

Heat
Inspiration is not something United have been short of, yet the manager knows "a bit of luck" could be equally important if the English champions are to get the better of their Spanish counterparts in the Eternal City. "Certain things will be important such as concentration and the bit of luck that teams get in a certain moments which can decide or turn a game," he added. "It will be a game in which both teams won't want to give the ball away; what we do with it as opposed to them will be the deciding factor. The heat won't affect preparations but if it's uncomfortable we'll have to rely on the determination and courage of our players and that's something I'll be looking for."

Hristo Stoichkov joked to uefa.com that the attacking style his old Camp Nou team-mate Josep Guardiola has fostered at the helm of FC Barcelona is something of a surprise given that the coach was "never asked to go across the halfway line" in his playing days.

Camp Nou colleagues
The 43-year-old Stoichkov and Guardiola, 38, were team-mates at Camp Nou from 1990 to 1995 and 1996 to 1998. However, the Bulgarian – Barcelona's final ambassador for tonight's UEFA Champions League decider against Manchester United FC – said the former defensive midfielder's playing style did not mark him out as a man who would go on to fashion such an attack-oriented side as the current Barça.

Local pride
"He was never asked to go across the halfway line; from there on it was our business," the forward told uefa.com. "When I played with him he was very young so he had to run a lot and make simple passes. Still he was a key element in the 'dream team' of the early 1990s. A player like that is very easy for a coach. He is Catalan, he feels at home at Barça and he knows better than anyone what Barcelona stands for."

'More than just a club'
Stoichkov was a member of the Barça team that lost 2-1 to United in the 1991 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, but on the eve of the clubs' most auspicious meeting yet, he preferred to look back on another final; the one in 1992 which saw Barça beat UC Sampdoria to claim their first European Champion Clubs' Cup. "The 20 May that year was my greatest day with Barcelona," he said. "For the first we felt on top of the world. It was a great; we felt like we were more than just a club."

Phenomenal team
Two years later, Stoichkov scored twice in a 4-0 UEFA Champions League group-stage win against United. "It was easy," he recalled with a broad grin. "That team was very strong with players like Michael Laudrup, Romário, Ronald Koeman." He added at least another ten names from that famous squad before concluding reverently: "That was a phenomenal team."

Amazing opponents
The same could be said of both tonight's finalists in Rome. "They are both really amazing," Stoichkov admitted. "They just became champions in Spain and England by playing great football for the whole season and they are not just winning games; they are entertaining the fans. They share the same mentality even if Barcelona have a very young coach and United a very experienced one. It doesn't get better than this."

'Messi against Ronaldo'
Stoichkov was sure Barça would not be undermined by the absences of suspended full-backs Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal plus the injured Rafael Márquez as they bid to complete an unprecedented Liga, Spanish Cup and UEFA Champions League treble, noting: "A great team never thinks about missing players." The big excitement, though, is sure to focus on United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barça's Lionel Messi, with 1994 European Player of the Year Stoichkov saying: "It's Messi against Ronaldo. Whoever wins will also get the Ballon d'Or."

[K.Dub]

Hoping for a great game tonight!

[kuruptDPG]

im a manutd supporter but im never confident for them when they play against other big clubs, but hopfully theyl win

[Mga223]

i have a feeling a player like tevez or iniesta will decide it not messi or ronaldo

[cedrik]

messy is a best player of the world !!!!!!!!!

[Furor Teutonicus]

Go Barca.

[Portugoal]

I don't know what team has the best chances and I don't care who wins... 2 perfect ingredients for a great game to watch!

[Elano]

eto'o 1-o for barca

[StreetsAllSalute]

WHAT A GOAL!!!

[Lunatic]

messy is a best player of the world !!!!!!!!!

that is still Ronaldo

[Portugoal]

The best team won... Great game!

[K.Dub]

What a fucking great game! I loved every second of it!

LOL at Cristiano, a grumpy diver.

[Lil White Azz]

What a fucking great game! I loved every second of it!

LOL at Cristiano, a grumpy diver.

 

[Portugoal]

2 complaints:
The ref didn't send Scholes off the pitch and C. Ronaldo showed again what a bad loser he is.

[Jome]

messy is a best player of the world !!!!!!!!!

that is still Ronaldo

Not the last 12 months.. you haven't seen many Barca or ManU games this year, have you ?

Barca pretty much owned ManU, haven't seen them this outclassed, since the 1st half against Tottenham. 

Disclaimer: Yes, I know about the second half, thank you very much.