Rome Champions League Final - next Wednesday

Champions League final better than a World Cup final?

Only one week we still have to wait before watching the massive Champions League Final from the Eternal City of Rome. The old and same time the new England champion Manchester United will face FC Barcelona, another continent's domestic league winner on Stadio Olimpico, next Wednesday, 27 of May from 19:45 GMT in what experts anticipate it would be one of the greatest finals of all time. The great clash will be live in Britain on Sky Sports 1.
At the end of the game we will see whether Manchester United will become the first team to defend its cup won a year ago or would be a fantastic season for Barcelona by achieving its third Champions League trophy alongside with the Spanish League and Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup).

Most of football fans believe that this is the right final due to the excellent shape of both teams in 2008-2009 season. The final stage is the best way we can argue which team is the best. It is also the world's best players duel: the present Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo or a possible future one, the little Argentine Leo Messi.

Both squads have won the leagues in their countries. Manchester United have won it mathematically last Saturday on Old Traford against the rivals from Arsenal after a 0-0 game. Barcelona have assured their Liga after humiliating on Bernabeu the all time rivals Real Madrid with an incredible 6-2.

Let's rememorate how the next week's finalists got through the rounds in their way to Rome.

Manchester United

At the biginning of winter the Red Devils got the first place of Group E with only one point more than Villareal, a team which caused to them problems, holding up the CL winners in two consecutive draws. In the next stage, a 0-0 on San Siro and a secure 2-0 win back at Old Traford against Italian champions Internationale got them to the quarter finals. Surpringly, FC Porto was tougher to knock out than Inter. Man UTD drew 2-2 at Old Traford and weren't so sure that will get to semis. But a superb 35 meters shot from Ronaldo's right foot saved the Red Devils and it assured a spot in the semi-final against Arsenal. The two leg semi-final with the Londoneer side was apparently a much easier task for Manchester UTD than it was in the previous stage. They won 1-0 at Old Traford by John O'Shea's header and 3-1 at Emirates, with Ji-Sung Park, and Cristiano Ronaldo two times scoring. Robert Van Pesie scored the only goal of Arsenal in both games.

Barcelona

The 'blau-grana' side won easily their Group C, scoring 18 goals against teams like Sporting Lisbon, FC Basel or the fresh Uefa Cup winners Shakthar Donetsk. In the first knockout stage they eliminated the champions of France Lyon. With a draw in the first leg and a comfortable 5-2 win at New Camp, Barcelona progressed to the quarters. Another easy pass and again against some other champions, Bayern Munich. Barcelona scored four goals in the first game in Catalunia conceiding none and drew at the Munich stadium, in the second leg. But way harder it was when the catalan squad faced Chelsea in semis. Despite attacking Petr Czech's goal almost all the time, Barcelona did not succeed to score in the first leg. The game from Stamford Bridge was simply thrilling, a drama which it was won in the last minute by Barcelona. Essien opened the score for Chelsea in the ninth minute with one of the best Champions League goals ever. Chelsea made a good defensive game in both halfs, but luckly for Barcelona, Andres Iniesta scored in stoppage time and put Barça into the final.