Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U

[heniek31]

Wednesday 27 May 2009	Home	Draw	Away	BPP
	>FC Barcelona v Manchester United (19:45 BST)	2.74	3.55	2.78

[bagehot]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U With a defensively depleted Barcelona side against such a solid United team I can't help it but rank the Mancs as favourites for the final. Barcelona have huge quality, but Chelsea proved that their attacking flair can be stopped. We all know how highly unpredictable the match outcome for this one is but given United's defensive strength and run of form in recent weeks (a blistering Ronaldo included) I rate them as slight favourites. I'm basically hoping for a great football match and will most likely skip it, but I would like to hear people's views on this one...

[paulie]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U left a comment on wrong page but surely 4/6 on 5 or less substitions in 90 mins is huge?? i cant see either team using up all 3 subs in such a high pressure game especially if as thought its gonna be a tight game in last years final there was only 1 substition made in the 90 mins it was in extra time that a few subs were made to take penalties etc but personally il be takin 4/6 on 5 or less subs

[drale]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U who is all missing for barca Henry, Marques, D. Alves, Abidal, and i heard somewhere that Iniesta is doubtfull ???

[nastro 1888]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Abidal and Alves are suspended, marquez IMO is way overrated at this level, had this running argument with my brother for a couple of years. Not sure what barca will do, silvinho maybe left back and they can use puyol at fullback at times. I think SAF would love to have had darren fletcher to hassle and annoy xavi and iniesta to break up attacks, but being suspended he needs a plan B as these 2 are the best 2 central midfield partnership in world football. Barca 1-0 if pushed.

[drale]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U MAN U have anderson he'll take care of xavi... and iniesta i dont think that he will be fit for the match same as henry

[deeloughran]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U An interesting Paddy Power special; Who to be fouled the most? Messi 5/6 Ronaldo 5/6 Think Messi is good value for this market since Barcelona using control the possession and United will want to break up the fluidity of the Barca attacks which means not letting Messi get onto the ball. Think we'll see the usual 4-5-1 Fergie usually deploys in Europe away from home which means that Ronaldo is not his usual threat and won't get forward as much to get fouled. Think Messi at 5/6 is good value here

[EU.Sando]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U The only thing that i want from this match is to be the best CL final played till now! Beautiful game, a lot of goals, fair play. After all, i doubt that someone can predict that match. So giving prognoses its a bit matter of luck... my opinion. P.S. Anyway, Good luck to Man Utd, i wish them win

[Caveman]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U match won't be decided in 90 mins IMO, Draw match for me after first, second and even 10th look all bets including extra time or even penalty shot should be considered, but I don't know which side will nick it. I'll decide on match day to put some quids on Barca or ManU to win cup, but if there are no significant team news, to predict this match outcome for me remains pure lottery, 50-50 chance...

[Jase82]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Both teams to score @ 1.83 I can't see this game being played similar to the way Chelsea played against Barcelona. The main aim of every fixture leading up to this game is to make sure you reach the final. Now, both teams have gotten to the final I can't see either team not going for it. We all know the type of football Barcelona play, so Manchester United will look to break the play up as often as possible. Barcelona have a few missings, especially in defence, whilst United miss Fletcher. I'm not sure that is such a big loss for them as I don't think he would have started on Wednesday anyway. Both teams to score seems logical as I think this will be a more open game played between two very offensive minded sides. Tactics won't be such a necessity here, with the winner likely coming through who wants it, and is better prepared on the night. The question is, can Manchester United win the CL for a 2nd time? I think the odds for 1x2 are pretty acurate. I can't pick a winner in 90 minutes.

[discodave]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U BE CAREFUL ON THIS AMAZING PIECE OF INFO

left a comment on wrong page but surely 4/6 on 5 or less substitions in 90 mins is huge?? i cant see either team using up all 3 subs in such a high pressure game especially if as thought its gonna be a tight game in last years final there was only 1 substition made in the 90 mins it was in extra time that a few subs were made to take penalties etc but personally il be takin 4/6 on 5 or less subs

this price should not be 4/6 last 6 finals you would of lost a lot of money doing this bet man u chelsea 1 sub milan liverpool 6 subs barca arsenal 6 subs milan liverpool 5 subs monaco porto 6 subs juve milan 6 subs i am well lucky as i didnt check these stats and boyle sports wouldnt take my card (dickheads) this actually seems a bit of a mugs bet paulie (unless you work for boyle sports?) i know man u last year only subbed one player but that so doesnt warrant 4/6 this should be about what 7/4

[EdJohanson]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Barcelona-Manchester United Over 2.5 goals Odds: 2.19 at 10bet This is expected to be one of the most exciting Champions League finals in the history of the competition as two arguably the best European sides will contest for the trophy. The match will be played at Stadio Olimpico in Rome and all the football fans expect to see everything football has to offer when Barcelona and Manchester United meet on Wednesday. Even though these kinds of matches are usually pretty boring as the teams are mostly concentrated on result than on the performance, this match is likely to be an exception to the rule since Both Barcelona and Manchester United are attack-minded teams. Holders United are on the verge of historic success as the win in this match would see them defend both Premiership and Champions League title this season. Barcelona, on the other hand, are eager to show everyone that they are currently the best team in Europe and we have no doubts that this is going to be an extremely exciting encounter. Barcelona have got just two European Cup titles Barcelona have progressed a great deal in the last few years and they managed to reinstate their position as one of the top teams in Europe but two European Cup titles are definitely not enough for such a great team. Josep Guardiola was brought to replace Frank Riijkard after pretty unsuccessful last season and the first thing he did was to get rid of veterans Ronaldinho and Deco, who were key players the previous season. It was clear that he wanted to rejuvenate his team, having brought Pique from Manchester United, while also promoting Sergio Busquets from Barcelona B. He made some very risky decisions but that produced excellent results and the Catalans looked simply unstoppable this season. The three-man attack consisting of Henry, Messi and Eto’o was very impressive, whereas having Xavi, Iniesta and Yaya Toure in midfield meant that Barcelona would dominate every single match. Sep Guardiola’s team easily won the Primera title and Copa del Rey, thus they have the chance to become first Barca team that won three major titles in the course of a single season. Team’s biggest quality this season has been the outstanding attack, which had a lot of help from Xavi and Iniesta, who have made plenty of forward runs and helped the team score 30 goals in 12 Champions League games this season. Guardiola promised that his team will attack Manchester and we have no reason to doubt him since this is the only way his team know how to play. Guardiola has got some selection problems before the big game as both Henry and Iniesta are struggling with injuries but they had plenty of time to recuperate in the past few weeks and are likely to start the match. The back line will definitely be weakened as Abidal and Dani Alves are suspended, whereas Marquez and Milito are out with injuries. Therefore, Puyol and Silvinho will probably start on the sides, while Pique and Yaya Toure will form a defensive partnership. Ferguson is gunning for his third and club’s forth European Cup trophy Sir Alex Ferguson is definitely responsible for the fact that Manchester United are still one of the leading sides in Europe and the Scotsman wants his team to push for honours every single year. United have already won two Champions League titles under Ferguson and the boss wants United to become the first team to defend the trophy in the modern era of the competition, having won it last season. The team had plenty of success in recent years but the last two seasons have been especially fruitful. Having won both Pemiership and Champions League last season, Red Devils set their sights on defending both titles and even though that looked like a very difficult job, they need just one more win in order to fulfill the objectives set before the start of the season. United played extremely well this season and they didn’t have too much problems winning both Premiership and Carling Cup, but they are now eager to finish this season with the Champions League trophy in their hands. The team didn’t have such a difficult job in the past few rounds, having easily eliminated Porto and Arsenal, but this match will be completely different. Barcelona are definitely one of the best teams in Europe and their outstanding strikers will be difficult to contain. However, their defence is far from impressive, and this area of the team will be severely weakened on Wednesday, thus the English side will probably know how to punish them. Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted that Rio Ferdinand would probably start the match despite missing the last four games through injury and that will be a big risk as Ferdinand will be up against the strongest attack in Europe and it is more than clear that he is not fully fit. Apart from suspended Fletcher, the boss has no fresh injury worries, as both Rafael and Wes Brown will be fit to play after shaking off minor injuries. Considering the way United have been playing this season, we don’t think they will have any problems scoring past Barca’s weakened defence, especially as the Catalans will be leaving a lot of space behind, but they will also have problems keeping a clean sheet, as Ferdinand is definitely not at his best at the moment. Betting verdict We expect this match to be one of the most interesting finals in the history of the competition as both teams will adopt attacking approach. These are definitely two best teams in Europe at the moment and it will be a pity to see either of them stay without the trophy. This match is obviously too close to call, and our advice is to simply sit back and enjoy the game. However, if you are a passionate punter, betting on over 2.5 goals is definitely a good option since this is likely to be a very open match. Source: www.freebetting.net (approved by Paul Ross)

[discodave]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U gonna go against you ed in your thinking that this match will have goals in it apart from the penalties at the end the pressure on these guys is immense and after seeing what barca served up in the first leg against chelsea i dont think they are now capable of scoring in open play especially messi who cannot score against a premiership team never has and seems to go missing in big matches which is a bit disappointing although im not tipping anymore i think their wont be a goal scored in the 90 minutes but i do think barca will win it on penalties no first goalscorer barca win on penalties

[Mozzi]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U I personally think United are going to win this game by a considerable amount. Barcelona aren't good defensively at the best of times, but when missing three key defenders? Bearing in mind they'll be defending against Rooney, Berbatov (if he starts), Ronaldo etc. then I worry for Barcelona. When playing Madrid, their ability to defend set pieces was virtually non-existent, the way it tends to be for Barca, which is going to be nightmarish against a squad with Vidic in it. Barcelona have very good individuals, world-class even for some of them, but are they really any different to Arsenal? Their one-dimensional attack can and has been stopped by English clubs on numerous occasions now. They have little attacking prowess in the air so they're going to have to try and pass through 2, even 3 players on occasion. Barcelona didn't score over 2 legs against United last season and their squad hasn't really changed since then barring the introduction of a new manager. They're still going to encounter the same problems - men behind the ball. Let's not forget that Barcelona didn't actually beat Chelsea - they drew on both occasions and were extremely fortunate to draw the second leg. I'm going to call an outrageous scoreline of 4-1 to Man Utd because they're more organised, have quality all over the park and are tactically spot on. I predict Barca will have a lot of the ball because all English clubs let them as they just tend to go sideways and nowhere with it. If I'm correct, I expect most of United's goals to come from set pieces or on the break so taking Vidic at 10/1 for anytime goalscorer may be worthwhile. It's also worthwhile to look at Park scoring anytime at 8/1 as Barca will have a nightmare marking him and Fergie has already said he'll be starting. First foul of the game will probably be for O'Shea as I expect Messi to switch to the left before too long and realise O'Shea's not good enough to be playing on this stage by beating him and being brought down. Either way, I'll be off to Rome for the game so good luck to all! I better go buy myself a stabvest...:cow

[elgoonerman]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U

I personally think United are going to win this game by a considerable amount. Barcelona aren't good defensively at the best of times' date=' but when missing three key defenders? Bearing in mind they'll be defending against Rooney, Berbatov (if he starts), Ronaldo etc. then I worry for Barcelona. When playing Madrid, their ability to defend set pieces was virtually non-existent, the way it tends to be for Barca, which is going to be nightmarish against a squad with Vidic in it. Barcelona have very good individuals, world-class even for some of them, but are they [i']really any different to Arsenal? Their one-dimensional attack can and has been stopped by English clubs on numerous occasions now. They have little attacking prowess in the air so they're going to have to try and pass through 2, even 3 players on occasion. Barcelona didn't score over 2 legs against United last season and their squad hasn't really changed since then barring the introduction of a new manager. They're still going to encounter the same problems - men behind the ball. Let's not forget that Barcelona didn't actually beat Chelsea - they drew on both occasions and were extremely fortunate to draw the second leg. I'm going to call an outrageous scoreline of 4-1 to Man Utd because they're more organised, have quality all over the park and are tactically spot on. I predict Barca will have a lot of the ball because all English clubs let them as they just tend to go sideways and nowhere with it. If I'm correct, I expect most of United's goals to come from set pieces or on the break so taking Vidic at 10/1 for anytime goalscorer may be worthwhile. It's also worthwhile to look at Park scoring anytime at 8/1 as Barca will have a nightmare marking him and Fergie has already said he'll be starting. First foul of the game will probably be for O'Shea as I expect Messi to switch to the left before too long and realise O'Shea's not good enough to be playing on this stage by beating him and being brought down. Either way, I'll be off to Rome for the game so good luck to all! I better go buy myself a stabvest...:cow

You forget that Arsenal beat a full strength Manchester United 2-1 at the Emirates earlier in the season when the Arsenal squad was less injury hit. Man united and pretty much all teams in the world really do hate playing teams like Barca and Arsenal when they play well. You all forget the way Barca play, not only do they have large amounts of possesion but off the ball they are a nightmare, as soon as they lose it they all rapidly close down their opponents to win the ball back, all of them, the front 3 in Eto'o Messi and Henry included. If Man United don't have the ball it will put pressure on their attackers to really take their chances when they get them, look at drogba who had to guilt edges chances to score against chelsea but missed them for be because of the pressure on him to score. Players these days especially Cristiano Ronaldo even at man united need about 3,4 good chances to get a goal! When Barca will have so much possesion Man United attacks will be few and far between. People believe to much rubbish from the english media who were trying to make excuses for Chelsea's non existant attacking play. The whole theory behind Man United and Chelsea being able to break down attacking teams is only true when the other team (arsenal) dosen't play well. I see no reason why barca will hold anything back. I believe if Barca play well they really should win. I think in the first leg maybe the big derby vs Madrid was on their minds and since Chelsea were only defending Barca where not as sharp up front as they might had been. Barca imo lacked confidence in the secound leg against Chelsea to score against the and a bit of magic from Iniesta in the dying minutes saved them. What happened to them against united last year was definatly playing on their minds, their final balls were not up to their ususal high standards at the bridge. Look at this Messi video here

and you will see, some of those crosses were really poor which is unlike him and unlike Barca if their final ball was up to scratch they wouldv'e had no problems aganist chelsea. That goal Iniesta scored for me is why Barca will win, now they have cast what happened to them last year behind and will have the neccesary confidence to win. If Barca play well i don't think they will lose. The odds on barca to win are pretty good but one to keep your eye on is barca to win in extra time at 12/1 (bet 365) United i believe will be tired from chasing the ball constantly for 90 minutes and will run out of steam by extra time.

[sajtion]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U i see this game as 50 - 50. i can't give and edge to either team. they are both good and i am sure will play their best in the final. i hope its not gonna be boring draw because i see potential here for both teams to score at least two goals

[1875]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Manchester United @ 2.78 (Betfair) Manchester United -1 @ 7.00 (WilliamHill) Ronaldo anytime scorer @ 3.10 (Expekt) Over 2.5 goals @ 2.26 (Betfair) Barcelona are without a doubt a quality team but I just can't see past Manchester United. Barcelona are missing a few players missing that play in defence and this has helped me decide on this one. For me Barcelona hold onto the ball for long periods of time and play possession football but i think they are weak in defence. In comes the long debate, How good is Barcelona's defence really? I mean, for me they don't play in a league were they are regularly tested enough. I think the game will be won on the wings and I really think Ronaldo is going to destroy either Sylvinho or whoever plays right/left back for Barcelona on the night. Man Utd to win by 2 goals. Chelsea could have beaten Barcelona had it been for better finishing and imo Manchester United have so many players who can get you a goal.

[dak]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Very difficult match to call indeed. The odds clearly reflect this at the moment. If I was to pick a winner in 90' I would side with Manchester United. Barcelona are arguably the more exciting team given their offensive style of play, but Manchester are, in my opinion, the more efficient team who get the job done. Furthermore, I have to rate Sir Alex as better manager than Guardiola. Sure, Guardiola has done fine, but Sir Alex is a professor in a league of his own when it comes to strategy and positioning players to get the result. Defensively, Barcelona have been known to faulter at times whereas Manchester has, for the most part, been rock solid at the back. United also has enough scoring weapons to get the winning goal/s. I wouldn't rush to call this match an over 2.5. Barcelona is well aware of its defensive weaknesses and may be careful and Manchester is also aware of Barcelona's offensive strength so they too may be cautious. Don't forget, the prize is massive so both teams may be careful. Arguably, this is what may keep the match under 2.5 goals and could lead to a draw of 0-0 or 1-1. But again, who knows.... it could be a goal fest If the match goes into overtime and penalties things become a bigger gamble. I might just wager something on the live betting after seeing the mood and play of the teams.

[Mozzi]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U

You forget that Arsenal beat a full strength Manchester United 2-1 at the Emirates earlier in the season when the Arsenal squad was less injury hit. Man united and pretty much all teams in the world really do hate playing teams like Barca and Arsenal when they play well. You all forget the way Barca play, not only do they have large amounts of possesion but off the ball they are a nightmare, as soon as they lose it they all rapidly close down their opponents to win the ball back, all of them, the front 3 in Eto'o Messi and Henry included. If Man United don't have the ball it will put pressure on their attackers to really take their chances when they get them, look at drogba who had to guilt edges chances to score against chelsea but missed them for be because of the pressure on him to score. Players these days especially Cristiano Ronaldo even at man united need about 3,4 good chances to get a goal! When Barca will have so much possesion Man United attacks will be few and far between. People believe to much rubbish from the english media who were trying to make excuses for Chelsea's non existant attacking play. The whole theory behind Man United and Chelsea being able to break down attacking teams is only true when the other team (arsenal) dosen't play well. I see no reason why barca will hold anything back. I believe if Barca play well they really should win. I think in the first leg maybe the big derby vs Madrid was on their minds and since Chelsea were only defending Barca where not as sharp up front as they might had been. Barca imo lacked confidence in the secound leg against Chelsea to score against the and a bit of magic from Iniesta in the dying minutes saved them. What happened to them against united last year was definatly playing on their minds, their final balls were not up to their ususal high standards at the bridge. Look at this Messi video here

and you will see, some of those crosses were really poor which is unlike him and unlike Barca if their final ball was up to scratch they wouldv'e had no problems aganist chelsea. That goal Iniesta scored for me is why Barca will win, now they have cast what happened to them last year behind and will have the neccesary confidence to win. If Barca play well i don't think they will lose. The odds on barca to win are pretty good but one to keep your eye on is barca to win in extra time at 12/1 (bet 365) United i believe will be tired from chasing the ball constantly for 90 minutes and will run out of steam by extra time.

I'm not trying to get at Arsenal. Arsenal play some magnificent attacking football. My point was purely that both Arsenal and Barcelona play one-dimensional football which does make it easier to defend against as opposed to a side like Inter Milan or Chelsea, sides that can play on the floor or in the air. I've not forgotten the game in November. What I do recall is how Arsenal got skinned twice by Man Utd in the Champs League Semi-Final when the chips were down, and I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying "skinned" either. United win when they have to. The defeat at Arsenal, whereby it wasn't good at the time, it did then set Man Utd off on a run of not conceding a goal for what, 14 games? United then went on to win the league and Arsenal disappeared into nothing, as usual. It seems that those moments where sides cannot contain Arsenal are few and far between given Arsenal's trophy cabinet over the past few years. Don't get me wrong, I respect Arsenal's football, but it can be stopped and countered and United are the side who can do it and could very well do the same again when it counts in the final against Barcelona. Still, each to their own. Good luck to all :)

[Caveman]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U

Both teams to score @ 1.83 .

summed up your thought and my own and ended playing 1:1 & 2:2 CS with small stakes, hope best for both of us :hope

[Dac007]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U If Barca will play like with Chelsea, they have little chance to win. Guess it will bw an under game, both teams will wait and play carefully

[fidders]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Without doubt this is the game evryone wanted to see, can the tacticians outfox the flair? Close affair but It is my belief that UTD (and i dont support them) are more tactically aware. They will have done their homework on Messi and co and with flair players of their own I give them the edge. Barca only know one thing and that is to attack, they are undoubtly great at that but there will also be times in the game when they will have to defend vigerously and I just feel this will be their downfall. Close game and likely to be goals, my bets are: Utd to win (13-8) 6 / 10 Over 2.5 6 / 10 Utd to win outright (10/11) 8 / 10 Good luck

[elgoonerman]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U i'm confident if barca score first they will win. I feel if Barca go a goal ahread united will have to come at them, this will leave space for the front 3 to play and you have seen how devastating the front 3 are.

[Kozzin Benson]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Having watched both teams this season i feel that if Man Utd play to their full potential then they are good enough to beat Barca on the day. I think that Man Utd's midfield is full of energy & has the destructive ability to stop Barca from playing how they like & will frustrate them as the game goes on. Going forward i think that Man Utd have enough fire power to upset Barca especially from set pieces with Ferdinand, Vidic, Ronaldo & O'shea dangerourous from crosses. If Man Utd score early then i think they could go on & win by 2 or 3 goals as Barca will have to come out & leave gaps which will suit Man Utd on the counter attack with Ronaldo & Rooney. However i will throw this question into the equation, do you think the likes of Michel Platini & Sepp Blatter would like Man Utd to win the Champions League 2 years in a row or as i think they would like Barca to win as they play the more beautiful football in their opinion? Is there any mileage in such a game being open to certain decisions etc going in favour of Barca in order to attempt to influence the result in Barca's favour? I hope not but i do wonder, any thoughts welcome? Good Luck all! :ok

[Mahno]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Both teams to score @1.72 bet365 Both teams have players who can score.Barca is a bit shaky at the back so i expect Rooney or Ronaldo to have few chances to score.No need to say anything about Messi,Henry and Eto'o-they will use every opportunity to upset Man.U.Still i don't think Barca deserved to play in the final.they didn't show much against Chelsea.Somebody just didn't want same final as last year...

[corvus corax]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Can't wait for tomorrows match. I have read all the posts here, some I agree, some not. Barcelona defence is really bad and attack very good. Messi and Henry together are fantastic, but hope the middle line will do their job. Etoo is something like weather, but it seems under the pressure he's quite bad. On the other side ManU, who I don't give much credit if Barca will play their game. OK, Rooney is fantastic and working player, Gigs also. Defence really great. But still, if joker Ronaldo will not score soon, he will play a Wounded Man. Just like to know how referee will react. All in all, I would like to see Barca win. I heard Guardiola analyzed all Manchester matches in this season. Maybe that will be some extra help, since Fergusson is still a better coach. Not now, but tomorrow I'll play big money on Barca. I'm pretty sure Manchester will not be the first team after Milan who will hold the title. Red Star began with this tradition and think this season the tradition will not be broken.

[SB162002]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U

BE CAREFUL ON THIS AMAZING PIECE OF INFO this price should not be 4/6 last 6 finals you would of lost a lot of money doing this bet man u chelsea 1 sub milan liverpool 6 subs barca arsenal 6 subs milan liverpool 5 subs monaco porto 6 subs juve milan 6 subs i am well lucky as i didnt check these stats and boyle sports wouldnt take my card (dickheads) this actually seems a bit of a mugs bet paulie (unless you work for boyle sports?) i know man u last year only subbed one player but that so doesnt warrant 4/6 this should be about what 7/4

Great info:ok

[Kevhickie80]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U Granted its a great final in prospect, but while the bookies arent able to split who is going to lift the trophy - both are available at even money - I think whilst Barcelona have an abundance of attacking options, United have the defensive quality to keep the likes of Messi and Henry quiet.Put it this way, if theres one manager who knows how to keep Henry quiet, its Sir Alex. United will suffer less from stage nerves, having been in the showpiece final last year, while Barca have a rookie manager who are aching to bring back this title to a Spain yearning to replace the EPL at the top of the European tree. UEFA and Platini in particular will be looking for a Spanish win, but at the end of the day Platini is a French bufoon who will do anything to keep the glamour away from the EPL. His wife must have had an affair with a Brit at some point.Anyway, I digress. I feel confident that United will win this game with a bit to spare, Ronaldo,Rooney,Rio will all be on the ball against a Barca team gifted the Semi Final tie by not a Spaniard, A frenchman, An Argentinian but a Norwegian ref. I fully expect Ronaldo to bag a goal, although not necessarily from one of his trademark free kicks but from a set piece header to undo Barca's defence. Then in chasing the game they will leave countless gaps at the back which I reckon will result in the two goal cushion 1 point Manchester United to beat Barcelona by 2 goals 17/2 Sky Bet Then I want the camera to pan in on Platini's angry french face, so I can shout at the screen for him to shove his complaining hypocritical head up his arse, and demand that he urges the delegation panel to give us the World Cup in 2018 rather than vote elsewhere all because he doesnt want the focus of UEFA to be based around one country.

[AJ]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U have arb'd the outright on Betfair,so am taking a supporters bet here First goal scorer Anderson @ 35.0 Have said all season he'd score in the CL final, so time to put my money where my mouth is. Plus I think Barcas midfield will be open to his runs from deep

[dak]

Re: Champoins League Final - 27th of May - Barcelona v Man U

Having watched both teams this season i feel that if Man Utd play to their full potential then they are good enough to beat Barca on the day. I think that Man Utd's midfield is full of energy & has the destructive ability to stop Barca from playing how they like & will frustrate them as the game goes on. Going forward i think that Man Utd have enough fire power to upset Barca especially from set pieces with Ferdinand, Vidic, Ronaldo & O'shea dangerourous from crosses. If Man Utd score early then i think they could go on & win by 2 or 3 goals as Barca will have to come out & leave gaps which will suit Man Utd on the counter attack with Ronaldo & Rooney. However i will throw this question into the equation, do you think the likes of Michel Platini & Sepp Blatter would like Man Utd to win the Champions League 2 years in a row or as i think they would like Barca to win as they play the more beautiful football in their opinion? Is there any mileage in such a game being open to certain decisions etc going in favour of Barca in order to attempt to influence the result in Barca's favour? I hope not but i do wonder, any thoughts welcome? Good Luck all! :ok

I can understand why one could wonder... However, I really can't believe that either team will receive any "pre-planned" favourable treatment. The whole world will be watching this match. Platini and Blatter may have their own personal reasons for wanting a Barca win, but surely both MUST ensure, above all else, the credibility of the competition. Let's not kid ourselves...nobody wants the CL to lose its credibility as a competition. If it happens that Barca or Man U end up getting favoured it will be out the refs own decisions and not anybody else.