champion league

The current champions, Manchester United, Barcelona and possibly the two best teams of the moment, the dispute on Wednesday in the Rome Olympic final of the Champions League football (18h45 GMT), the world's most prestigious club tournament.

Both reach the decisive match of the Italian capital having won in mid-May the title in their respective national leagues, although Barcelona also won the Copa del Rey and look for a historic 'Treble'.
In recent months, the outcome of the game and the men who directed Josep Guardiola has given wings to the fans of the team, already dreaming of the third European crown, after those obtained in 1992 in London and in Paris in 2006.

"On Wednesday, do not fail," said Catalan coach on their ward on Saturday, when the club celebrated with their fans at the Camp Nou double the national league in a match where the team fell 1-0 to Osasuna in the than the coach reserved for the holders to several European final.

Despite the apparent euphoria, the challenge is complicated, with a Manchester United will try to be the first to validate the European title since 1990, when Milan won 1-0 at Benfica in Vienna, after the final goleado 1989 to Steaua Bucharest (4-0).




The team from Old Trafford is also supported by its effectiveness in the finals of the maximum continental event, where he has coveted final three (1968, 1999, 2008) and has completed all of them lifting the championship trophy.

The veteran technician United, Alex Ferguson has warned in recent weeks, the potential of Barcelona. Online gambling house "Be aware that the threat comes not only from England. The key comes from Barcelona," the coach predicted the end of Scots March, when he had just played on the final round.

His words were visionary and equipment azulgrana, who sealed his skip to the end with a tie in the dying ground of Chelsea, threatens to deprive one of the Premier League title, after the English championship placed three of its representatives in the semifinals.

The game also will result in Rome expected duel between the two players will compete for the honorary title of 'best player in the world': the Argentine Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.

The international Albiceleste as it reaches the final top scorer of the competition, with eight targets and is facing a golden opportunity to shine in a grand final and claim his candidacy for the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player Award, which won the last edition in Portuguese rival.

The low marked the preparations for the Barcelona, which has altered their usual eleven. While Manchester United may not have sanctioned the Darren Fletcher and Rio Ferdinand is a doubt due to injury, Guardiola will be thwarted in defense of the suspended Dani Alves and Eric Abidal, Rafael Marquez and the injured.

In the attack, Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta, injured since the beginning of the month, are also doubts, while Barca have forced recovery. Off the field, the end was a large deployment of security in and around Rome to prevent violent incidents both swollen with displaced with local 'tifosi' radical. In addition to the influx of agents support from England and Spain, has decided to ban alcohol sales in much of the city to coincide with the date of the game.

LEAGUE OF CHAMPIONS " CHELSEA 1 - BARCELONA 1

Faith and trust. Nothing more. At least that's what I thought Messi at the end of the match on what was what they had done at Stamford Bridge match and qualify for the finals of the Champions League. "The faith and confidence of this team is what has brought us to Rome," he confessed.

Far from criticizing the Chelsea game, Messi praised the bet made by Hiddink to try to pass the round. "Chelsea is a great team. They are much stronger than us and are much higher in the melee. They did great football, but neither do we have left to us and that's important, "said Messi.

Regarding the outcome, the front azulgrana hardly could not believe it. "We make the goal. We are much more complicated the game by both Essien, but when we thought we were going and what appeared Andres solved," he said before a new compliment to his rival: "Chelsea did not let us shoot or door."

Of the four occasions when the boat was measured at Chelsea in a European tie, the team has emerged victorious in azulgrana three, the last in the 2005-06 season in which the box Frank Rijkaard then lifted the Cup in Paris

The fifth and final confrontation that has occurred between the two sets, dating back to the group stage of the Champions League for the 2006-07 season. Barca lost at Stamford Bridge (1-1) and tied at the Camp Nou (2-2). The 'blues' were the first group and Barca, second.

More intense the playoffs were on the bench when Londoners lived by José Mourinho, a former assistant coach of Barça. The Portuguese fueled controversy about Leo Messi and created a difficult atmosphere for Barça at Stamford Bridge.

In the final round of the Champions League 2004-05 season, Frank Rijkaard's team won 2-1, but dropped back in the (4-2).

In 2006-2007, in eights, Barca took revenge after winning in the first leg in London (1-2) and dosed at the turn (1-1). Barca won the Cup that year in Europe.

In the first two above, the team also came out ahead azulgrana. At the Fairs Cup (semi-finals, 1965-66), both teams won their matches (2-0) and had to play a match tiebreaker, in favor of the Catalans (5-0).

In the quarterfinals of the Champions League, 1999/00 season, Barça lost 3-1 in the first leg and gave it back to tie at home (5-1).

The team met the goal and Barça is already in the quarter-finals after golear (5-2) andalusia Olympique Lyon doublet with Henry, and goals from Messi, Etoo and Keita. Lyon has put fear into the body by cutting distances, but have managed to control Guardiola of the party and stop Benzema.

Not a promising beginning of Lyon have prevented the Barcelona again exposing her best version and that it is putting fear in the body to its potential opponent in the quarter-finals. Can not be said to be released in its third Champions League, but if the other parties are like the first forty-five minutes of this match, the road to Rome will have a clean trip.

Before advancing further developments, Guardiola's men had to wait about ten minutes to get into the game. Once Xavi started to operate the wall and Cris and Boumsong who were awarded the first place, Henry had already beaten twice equipment French left and practically closed the round.



Lloris first beat in a head to head three minutes later and again received a ball from Xavi and skim off the game and put a shot that would be a calm troubled soon after.

The ship was like, playing, press the ball and had not left to the French. In Ultimately, andalusia Olympique crushed in three minutes and left more harm to the defense gala. Messi started from the right of your hands that is dodging and kicking his legs, leaned in Etoo and put the ball in the soft goal. Relentlessly and without breathing became the fourth, when Etoo was reconciled with the goal to put a ball into the area and the ball crashing against the networks.

The violence with which they hit the Cameroonian effusive celebration and perhaps does not mean that their polemics are now closed and that its aim is refined, as advised in previous days.

But the nerves for Barca came when Makoun first head of a minute before the break and Juninho in the later stages of the second part had two goals on the scoreboard. Barca left to attack and put pressure on almost the entire field, and then appeared the shadow of Karim Benzema. Just peeped a couple of times without any success, but was about to put the issue to a third and Camp Nou.

Forgave the coveted front Gallo and sporadic occurrences of Iniesta and Messi did presage that could also reach the fifth. Arrived, but was added at the time when other assistance culminated Keita Xavi and pulled the goalie to break faith and leave the hand on the scoreboard.

I said, that if the boat is still on display and walk with safe passage to Rome and also the League. I said Pep on Saturday: "This team is not fooled."