Played
May 28, 2011 2:45 PM EDT
Wembley Stadium — London
Referee: V. Kassai
Attendance: 87695
May 28, 2011 2:45 PM EDT
Wembley Stadium — London
Referee: V. Kassai
Attendance: 87695
Champions League final preview: Barcelona - Manchester United
The Spanish champions will lock horns with the Premier League winners on Saturday at Wembley with European bragging rights on the line.
Watch the UEFA Champions League Final Barcelona vs. Manchester United this Saturday 5/28 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX! Click here for more.
| |
PROBABLE LINE UPS |
| Barcelona (4-3-3) Valdes; Dani Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Puyol; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Villa |
 |
Barca coach Pep Guardiola will be without the services of the injured Gabriel Milito and substitute goalkeeper Jose Pinto, who is suspended. Carles Puyol could deputize at fullback, with Javier Mascherano employed in the center of defense.
Guardiola is expecting fireworks at Wembley and had nothing but praise for his opponents on Saturday, saying: "They are one of the best teams in the world, and not just this year. We are proud to be playing them. I think it will be a good final."
| Manchester United (4-4-1-1) Van der Sar; Fabio, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Giggs, Carrick, Park; Rooney; Hernandez |
|
Leading scorer Dimitar Berbatov will have to be content with a place on the bench while Michael Carrick will likely hold off Darren Fletcher for a berth in midfield. Fabio should receive the nod ahead of his twin brother at right back.
United manager Alex Ferguson is keen to win the CL trophy on English soil and warned his side will not be in awe of his opponents, saying: "It is not good tactics to go into how good Barcelona are and show trepidation or apprehension about it. I don’t think that is our way."
| |
DID YOU KNOW? |
Barcelona has scored the most goals in this season's Champions League (27).
- The Catalans have faced Manchester United 10 times in European play. Barca's record against the English outfit is dead even with three wins, four draws and three losses.
- The Camp Nou giants have scored in their last 20 Champions League encounters. Rubin Kazan was the last team to shut them out back in November 2009.
- Lionel Messi is the CL's top scorer with 11 goals in the current campaign.
- Barcelona won the last European Cup final at Wembley in 1992 beating Sampdoria 1-0 in extra time.
- Xavi and Sergio Busquets are the only two players to complete more than 1000 passes in the 2010-11 CL.
- Manchester United is riding a 12-game unbeaten streak in this year's edition of the Champions League.
- Edwin Van der Sar will make his 99th overall appearance in the competition on Saturday.
- The Red Devils have conceded only four goals in the tournament.
- Alex Ferguson's side has reached its third CL final in the last four years.
- United succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Barca in the 2009 final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
- Manchester United's last loss in the CL came against Bayern Munich in March 2010.
Follow Goal.com on
to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's 
page; be part of the best soccer fan community in the world!
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
-
Barcelona 1-2 Manchester United
- 21.37 %
-
Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United
- 14.75 %
-
Barcelona 2-1 Manchester United
- 10.84 %
| Club Friendlies (FR) | Aug 8, 2012 | Manchester United 0 - Barcelona 0 |
|
| Club Friendlies (FR) | Jul 30, 2011 | Barcelona 1 - Manchester United 2 |
|
| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | May 28, 2011 | Barcelona 3 - Manchester United 1 |
|
| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | May 27, 2009 | Barcelona 2 - Manchester United 0 |
|
Barcelona
  |
||
| Jun 1, 2013 | Barcelona 4 - Malaga 1 | LIGA |
| May 26, 2013 | Espanyol 0 - Barcelona 2 | LIGA |
| May 19, 2013 | Barcelona 2 - Valladolid 1 | LIGA |
| May 12, 2013 | Atletico Madrid 1 - Barcelona 2 | LIGA |
| May 5, 2013 | Barcelona 4 - Betis 2 | LIGA |
Manchester United
   |
||
| May 19, 2013 | West Bromwich 5 - Manchester United 5 | EPL |
| May 12, 2013 | Manchester United 2 - Swansea City 1 | EPL |
| May 5, 2013 | Manchester United 0 - Chelsea 1 | EPL |
| Apr 28, 2013 | Arsenal 1 - Manchester United 1 | EPL |
| Apr 22, 2013 | Manchester United 3 - Aston Villa 0 | EPL |
| 1 | Víctor Valdés | Goalkeeper |
| 22 | Éric Abidal | Defender |
| 14 | Javier Mascherano | Midfielder |
| 3 | Piqué | Defender |
| 2 | Daniel Alves | Defender |
| 8 | Andrés Iniesta Luján | Midfielder |
| 16 | Busquets | Midfielder |
| 6 | Xavi | Midfielder |
| 17 | Pedro | Striker |
| 7 | David Villa | Striker |
| 10 | Lionel Messi | Striker |
| - | Oier | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Carles Puyol | Defender |
| 21 | Adriano | Defender |
| 11 | Thiago Alcántara | Midfielder |
| - | Seydou Keita | Midfielder |
| 20 | Ibrahim Afellay | Midfielder |
| 22 | Bojan Krkic | Striker |
| 1 | Edwin van der Sar | Goalkeeper |
| 3 | Patrice Evra | Defender |
| 15 | Nemanja Vidic | Defender |
| 5 | Rio Ferdinand | Defender |
| 20 | Fabio Da Silva | Defender |
| 11 | Ryan Giggs | Midfielder |
| 16 | Michael Carrick | Midfielder |
| 7 | Ji-Sung Park | Midfielder |
| 7 | Antonio Valencia | Midfielder |
| 10 | Wayne Rooney | Striker |
| 14 | Chicharito | Striker |
| 29 | Tomasz Kuszczak | Goalkeeper |
| 12 | Chris Smalling | Defender |
| 8 | Anderson | Midfielder |
| 17 | Nani | Midfielder |
| 24 | Darren Fletcher | Midfielder |
| 22 | Paul Scholes | Midfielder |
| 10 | Michael Owen | Striker |
1 
22 
14 
3 
2 
8 
16 
6 
17 
7 
10 
1 
3 
15 
5 
20 
11 
16 
7 
7 
10 
14 
Results
Times In EDT
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
12 | 0 |
|
Robert Lewandowski Striker Borussia Dortmund |
10 | 1 |
|
Thomas Müller Striker FC Bayern München |
8 | 1 |
|
Lionel Messi Striker Barcelona |
8 | 0 |
|
Burak Yılmaz Striker Galatasaray |
8 | 0 |
