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2009 UEFA Champions League Final Preview

The two most popular teams in European Football square off in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final Wednesday at 2:30 EST on ESPN.  The newly crowned champions of England and Spain cross paths at the Studio Olimpico this afternoon.  Manchester United from England and Barcelona from Spain offer an epic match-up that you don’t want to miss.  United will be looking 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.  Barcelona has already lifted the Liga and Copa del Rey this month and have a chance to claim the unprecedented Spanish treble.  This promises to be one of the more stylish gladiatorial contests ever staged in the Colosseum.

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 Ferguson, who is the most successful manager in British football history, a victory Wednesday is essential to justify his club’s ever-growing stature.  He feels he has a team that can win for many years to come, with a great mix of youth and veterans.  Captain Rio Ferdinand is fit to return from a calf injury, although United will be without the suspended Darren Fletcher as they bid to become the first side since AC Milan in 1989 and 1990 to win back-to-back European Cups.

While the United boss is at the end of his 35th season as a manager, Josep Guardiola is concluding his first and, though two trophies are already in the Camp Nou cabinet, the 38-year-old is not ready to be finished just yet.  Guardiola feels it has been a great season but he does not want it to finish badly and still claims there is a lot still to do.  He has a very tactically and technically sound squad, and will be looking to show the world how hard Barcelona has worked to get here by winning Wednesday.

Barcelona’s usual full-backs Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal are suspended and Rafael Marquez has a knee injury so Yaya Toure will drop back to central defence with captain Carles Puyol filling in at right-back.  Seydou Keita will be on the left and 20-year-old Sergi Busquets replaces Keita in midfield.  Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry should be fit after thigh and knee injuries respectively, with Guardiala saying that if they are OK then they will play, if not then they won’t.  So it’s clear heading in that Barcelona has far more injury concerns than Manchester United which could give a big edge to the squad from England.

Grabbing the headlines will be Christiano Ronaldo from United and Lionel Messi from Barcelona.  Ronaldo was named the 2008 Player of the Year and has 26 goals this season, while Messi looks to have taken over Ronaldo with 37 goals.  These are arguably the two best footballers in the world and which has the better game could easily decide this match.  Ronaldo can score from anywhere and he‘s known as the most multifaceted striker in the world, while Messi is simply explosive and over three quarters of the season, he’s undoubtedly been the best player in the world.  But over the last three months Ronaldo has become Ronaldo again, and he is now perhaps fitter than Messi heading in.  Either way, this will be an entertaining rivalry to watch and it’s certainly worth tuning in to this afternoon.

2009 UEFA Champions League Odds at BetUs show Manchester United as a -115 favorite to win while you can get underdog Barcelona at -105 if you think they will dethrone the defending champions.

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