Hat : Champions League final
Who : Barcelona v Manchester United
Where : Stadio Olimpico, Rome
When : 28th May, 2009 - 6:45am kick off (NZT)
On Thursday, newly crowned La Liga champions Barcelona get set to take on English Premier League Champions Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome - tvnz.co.nz previews the action.
Barcelona
It has been a dream start for Barcelona coach Pepe Guardiola.
In just his first season in charge of the Catalan side, the 38-year-old former Barcelona midfielder has led the Spanish giants to the Copa del Ray, and the La Liga title, while his team has been hailed for playing some of the sexiest football in Europe.
Barcelona have lost just one game in this season's Champions League campaign (losing 1-0 to Wisla Krakow in qualifying) and with the scoring prowess of Eto'o (5), Messi (8) and Henry (6), boast the highest goal tally of the tournament.
All these statistics bode well for Barca, but there is no doubt they face a different prospect than any other team they have faced, apart from perhaps Chelsea, in Manchester United.
As shown in their semi-final clash against Chelsea, it is the physical approach of the English game that is key to stifling Barcelona's free-flowing style.
After enjoying some high scoring games (most notably the 4-0 thrashing of Bayern in the quarter-finals) it was just a controversial injury time goal from Barcelona's Andres Iniesta in the dying minutes of the second-leg semi-final at Stamford Bridge that helped Barcelona secure their place in this year's final.
Chelsea's staunch defence kept the likes of Henry and Messi at bay at the Nou Camp, proving that this Barcelona is not as infallible as they are sometimes made out to be.
In the lead-up to Rome, the loss of experienced full-backs Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal through suspension has been a bitter blow for Guardiola, who will now be forced to deploy Carles Puyol as right-back in place of Alves, while Silvinho could start at left-back.
But there has been some good news for the side as Iniesta and Henry, both trying to overcome injury, have travelled to Italy with the squad and are expected play at least some part in the final.
Who : Barcelona v Manchester United
Where : Stadio Olimpico, Rome
When : 28th May, 2009 - 6:45am kick off (NZT)
On Thursday, newly crowned La Liga champions Barcelona get set to take on English Premier League Champions Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome - tvnz.co.nz previews the action.
Barcelona
It has been a dream start for Barcelona coach Pepe Guardiola.
In just his first season in charge of the Catalan side, the 38-year-old former Barcelona midfielder has led the Spanish giants to the Copa del Ray, and the La Liga title, while his team has been hailed for playing some of the sexiest football in Europe.
Barcelona have lost just one game in this season's Champions League campaign (losing 1-0 to Wisla Krakow in qualifying) and with the scoring prowess of Eto'o (5), Messi (8) and Henry (6), boast the highest goal tally of the tournament.
All these statistics bode well for Barca, but there is no doubt they face a different prospect than any other team they have faced, apart from perhaps Chelsea, in Manchester United.
As shown in their semi-final clash against Chelsea, it is the physical approach of the English game that is key to stifling Barcelona's free-flowing style.
After enjoying some high scoring games (most notably the 4-0 thrashing of Bayern in the quarter-finals) it was just a controversial injury time goal from Barcelona's Andres Iniesta in the dying minutes of the second-leg semi-final at Stamford Bridge that helped Barcelona secure their place in this year's final.
Chelsea's staunch defence kept the likes of Henry and Messi at bay at the Nou Camp, proving that this Barcelona is not as infallible as they are sometimes made out to be.
In the lead-up to Rome, the loss of experienced full-backs Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal through suspension has been a bitter blow for Guardiola, who will now be forced to deploy Carles Puyol as right-back in place of Alves, while Silvinho could start at left-back.
But there has been some good news for the side as Iniesta and Henry, both trying to overcome injury, have travelled to Italy with the squad and are expected play at least some part in the final.
Manchester United
It has been another glorious year for Alex Ferguson's Red Devils.
After the closest title race in years, United recently added an 18th League title to their Carling Cup and Club World Cup trophies, meaning United are set to win the first British quadruple if they get past Barca in Rome.
Unbeaten in the Champions League since May 2007, the defending Champions will be looking to retain their title, while Alex Ferguson will be looking to become just the second manager (the first being Liverpool's Bob Paisley) to win three Champions League trophies.
Apart from the unfortunate suspension of Darren Fletcher, United will have all hands on deck, as Rio Ferdinand is expected to be fit for the final after being sideline for three weeks with a calf injury.
Although unbeaten in the tournament, this season's Champions League proved to be a bumpy ride for United.
A huge scare came for the side after they drew 2-2 with Porto in the quarter-finals, before a Ronaldo screamer away to the Portuguese side put United through to the semi-finals where they destroyed Arsenal 3-1 (4-1 on agg) in the second leg.
After knocking Barcelona out of the tournament at the semi-final stage last season, Manchester United will feel quietly confident about this final.
And while Barcelona will be missing the defensive strength of some of their most experienced players, United have a wealth of experience and strength to call on, with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes (who scored the winner which knocked Barcelona out of the semi-final last season) and Gary Neville all part of United's 1999 treble winning squad.
Prediction
The loss of Alves is a disaster for Barcelona as the Brazilian has been integral to their defence this season, and without his pace and width, Barcelona may struggle to contain the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez.
Much has been made of the key match-up of two of the world's most prolific players in Messi and Ronaldo. Both have sometimes been accused of not stepping up in big games, but Ronaldo may have the upper hand in this clash.
There is no doubt United's No.7 is hitting form at just the right time, while Messi has failed to score against an English opponent in 10 attempts.
With their free-flowing football, keeping the ball will be key for the Spaniards if they want to stop United's attacking threat, with the fitness of Iniesta vital.
He and Xavi have been the cornerstone of Barca's midfield this season, and as many teams have already shown, once you get passed Barcelona's midfield, their defence is there for the taking.
While Barca have been praised for smart football, so too have United, but their added benefit is not only the physical strength, but the pace of their forwards.
There is no doubt that Pepe Guardiola's Barcelona have the ability to pass any team off the park, but with some of their key players missing, and Manchester United's varied player choice giving them strength in all areas, it certainly seems that United could be taking yet another trophy home to Manchester at the end of this clash.
Result: Man Utd 3, Barcelona 1
sumber: tvnz.co.nz
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