Manchester United
FC BarcelonaOn Wednesday, Manchester United take on Barcelona in what has been billed as the dream final in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League, with the magnificent setting of Rome’s Olympic Stadium ripe for a gladiatorial battle.
DStv audiences witnessed both teams celebrating League success after becoming champions of their domestic competitions, and are bidding to add the greatest club prize to their already overflowing trophy cabinets.
Manchester United, searching for a fourth title in this competition, enter the match as defending champions, while Barcelona last tasted success in 2006 when they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the title decider. That was just their second European crown.
And there are few that would argue that these are the two best teams in Europe. Barcelona have scored a remarkable 155 goals in 60 matches in all competitions this season, and showed immense character to claim a last-minute win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the previous round.
They have had an extra day to prepare after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Osasuna in the Spanish La Liga on Saturday, but did so with a side devoid of any first-team regulars, bar Samuel Eto’o up front and fullback Eric Abidal, who is cruelly suspended for Wednesday’s final.
There was no Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique or Dani Alves, as coach Pep Guardiola opted to keep them fresh for the final.
Manchester United rounded out their English Premiership campaign with a 1-0 success at Hull City and their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, deciding to rest key men too.
Of the team that started this match, only Gary Neville and Wes Brown have a likely chance of starting in Rome.
Football fanatics can tune into SuperSport 3 at 21:00 CAT on May 27 to catch all the live action in the UEFA Champions League 2008/09 final. Audiences can also press the OK button on the DStv remote control for additional info.
DStv audiences witnessed both teams celebrating League success after becoming champions of their domestic competitions, and are bidding to add the greatest club prize to their already overflowing trophy cabinets.
Manchester United, searching for a fourth title in this competition, enter the match as defending champions, while Barcelona last tasted success in 2006 when they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the title decider. That was just their second European crown.
And there are few that would argue that these are the two best teams in Europe. Barcelona have scored a remarkable 155 goals in 60 matches in all competitions this season, and showed immense character to claim a last-minute win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the previous round.
They have had an extra day to prepare after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Osasuna in the Spanish La Liga on Saturday, but did so with a side devoid of any first-team regulars, bar Samuel Eto’o up front and fullback Eric Abidal, who is cruelly suspended for Wednesday’s final.
There was no Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique or Dani Alves, as coach Pep Guardiola opted to keep them fresh for the final.
Manchester United rounded out their English Premiership campaign with a 1-0 success at Hull City and their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, deciding to rest key men too.
Of the team that started this match, only Gary Neville and Wes Brown have a likely chance of starting in Rome.
Football fanatics can tune into SuperSport 3 at 21:00 CAT on May 27 to catch all the live action in the UEFA Champions League 2008/09 final. Audiences can also press the OK button on the DStv remote control for additional info.
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