[The Special One]

There are 3 reasons to why:

1) They have the ability to rotate mid-field and forwards because there are no 'high-profile' stars and such almost every player can be substituted effectively. This will give Man Utd an element of surprise. However, Barca cannot substitute the core (Xavi, Iniesta) and the attack (Messi, Villa, maybe Pedro) which will give Man Utd a clear idea of what players will be starting that day. Just in case you are wondering, Man Utd can use Scholes/Anderson/Carrick/Fletcher/Park for the core because IMO they are all of the same quality (maybe Park better than the others) and Rooney/Berbatov/Chicha and even Owen. Plus, because Fergie never puts 3 forwards, they have a nice rotation at hand.

2) All the players are in good condition because Schalke was no challenge for them. Unlike Barca, who had to play a dirty Real team from which they are surely going to sustain some kind of injuries. And also, Barca took their focus off, somewhat, from winning CL to beating Real first priority. Not saying they aren't concentrated, but at least somewhat distracted.

3) Wembley. Probably Webb. Man Utd advantage.


- Man Utd ML is currently at around 3.6 and DNB is around 2.7... I will put whatever I can get together for that DNB... worst case scenario IMO is a DRAW, but expect Man Utd to surprise with a 2-1 win.

[FindTheLock]

barca will embarrass them by playing monkey in the middle while scoring too many goals for United to overcome. GL on your pick though, hope you're not betting with your heart.

[nobull]

manchester u is such a juggarnaut, i wouldn't be surprised if they won the next 10 ............. all in

[JOHON8]

The lines are as sharp as you get in finals like this, you don't have an edge either way since the books try very hard to direct public money. I'm not saying Barca will beat them easily, just saying the price you are getting is as close as it gets.

All we know is Barcelona will dominate this game and are rightly favorites, IMO their biggest obstacle was Real Madrid for the CL.

[zlate22]

i think united will win they r in great form and much better team than real

[minet123]

Red Devils win easy Sunday

[hitman09]

To me, The Red Devils will win the champion cups if Webb does a good job at Old Trafford this Sunday vs Chelsea then Webb give Man U. advantage on free kicks and Chicharito score a goal to snap a win. Man U. 1 - 0 Barcelona.

[flyingillini]

Chicharito guey!!!!!!

[Daveyboy]

There are 3 reasons to why:

1) They have the ability to rotate mid-field and forwards because there are no 'high-profile' stars and such almost every player can be substituted effectively. This will give Man Utd an element of surprise. However, Barca cannot substitute the core (Xavi, Iniesta) and the attack (Messi, Villa, maybe Pedro) which will give Man Utd a clear idea of what players will be starting that day. Just in case you are wondering, Man Utd can use Scholes/Anderson/Carrick/Fletcher/Park for the core because IMO they are all of the same quality (maybe Park better than the others) and Rooney/Berbatov/Chicha and even Owen. Plus, because Fergie never puts 3 forwards, they have a nice rotation at hand.

2) All the players are in good condition because Schalke was no challenge for them. Unlike Barca, who had to play a dirty Real team from which they are surely going to sustain some kind of injuries. And also, Barca took their focus off, somewhat, from winning CL to beating Real first priority. Not saying they aren't concentrated, but at least somewhat distracted.

3) Wembley. Probably Webb. Man Utd advantage.


- Man Utd ML is currently at around 3.6 and DNB is around 2.7... I will put whatever I can get together for that DNB... worst case scenario IMO is a DRAW, but expect Man Utd to surprise with a 2-1 win.

An English or Spanish referee cannot ref the final, so that takes away the 3rd advantage

Barca players have 3 weeks to recover, will win La Liga before United win the Premier League, so the fitness advantage is in Barca's favour.

When Xavi, Iniesta and Messi are tearing teams apart, do Barca need to rotate? No. It's a 90-minute game! All your points are non-sense

[alon7777777]

fade Webb cant be a ref in that game only advantage is Wembley and Barca are a better team so i'll go with Barcelona to win the cup cause 90 minutes can end as a draw

[mihaita666]

fade Webb cant be a ref in that game only advantage is Wembley and Barca are a better team so i'll go with Barcelona to win the cup cause 90 minutes can end as a draw

the key to bet on this game is comparing Barca 09/ MU 09 with Barca 11/MU 11. The difference was obvious back than. Think about what has happened meanwhile and u'll get the pick for this UCL final.

[samus82]

Man I get your point that Utd can rotate midfielders, but I still don't think they have a combination that can compete with Barca's midfield. They can throw whoever they want in there but no one is going to be able to stand up to Xavi and Iniesta in there. Barca will own the middle of the park.

Your point about condition is also bad. Barca have La Liga sewn up so they can rest their best players. Abidal is back now so Barca have pretty much everyone available. They can spend the next few weeks concentrating on the CL final, whereas Man Utd have to play Chelsea this weekend. If they don't win they have to win their last 2 games to be sure of winning the Prem.

Man Utd have no real way to contain Messi either.

[rebuswad]

I hope for a victory for football - Barca for me.

[RubberKettle]

Manchester United will win because

1. The game is at Wembley. A venue United know well and should be very comfortable playing in.
2. Barcelona's cheating has been making headlines. The referee will not send off a United player in this match, unless Paul Scholes finds his way onto the pitch. United and UEFA's referee's are hip to Barcelona's deception.
3. They can play football with Barcelona. Manchester United can keep possession and overcome the incessant pressure from Barcelona.
4. United's defense is the best in the world. If you look at that stats when the back 4 is healthy (Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Da Silva) they hardly ever concede. United have the ability to lock down the final 3rd of the field like no other team Barcelona have faced this season.

[samus82]

Manchester United will win because

1. The game is at Wembley. A venue United know well and should be very comfortable playing in.
2. Barcelona's cheating has been making headlines. The referee will not send off a United player in this match, unless Paul Scholes finds his way onto the pitch. United and UEFA's referee's are hip to Barcelona's deception.
3. They can play football with Barcelona. Manchester United can keep possession and overcome the incessant pressure from Barcelona.
4. United's defense is the best in the world. If you look at that stats when the back 4 is healthy (Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Da Silva) they hardly ever concede. United have the ability to lock down the final 3rd of the field like no other team Barcelona have faced this season.

Lol @ 2. Did you not see the 2nd leg or Barca Real. The Mascherano dive was awful, yet UEFA have done nothing. Don't be surprised to see Rooney attempting another dive sometime this game.

3) Barca are a much better possession team than Man Utd. Barca are also one of the best teams off the ball. Watching their games this year, you see how compact they play and how quickly they close the ball down. Utd will not have more possession in this game than Barca. However Utd are one of the best counter-attacking teams in the world. They know they will have less possession than Barca, but they will rely on their ability to hit them on the counter. That is Utd at their best.

4) The stats for Utd's defence are impressive, but Barca have an attack that Utd won't have encountered all year. Barca are incredibly creative so they will find ways to hurt Utd. Plus Barca have Messi, need I say more?

[The Special One]

An English or Spanish referee cannot ref the final, so that takes away the 3rd advantage

Barca players have 3 weeks to recover, will win La Liga before United win the Premier League, so the fitness advantage is in Barca's favour.

When Xavi, Iniesta and Messi are tearing teams apart, do Barca need to rotate? No. It's a 90-minute game! All your points are non-sense

Forget Webb, my mistake... But..

Mnu wrap up EPL this Sunday and have Blackburn/blackpool to wipe out easy.. While I bet Real will try to be stubborn until the end... But that's irrelevant really because my point is that barca were determined to beat Real rather than win CL which is similar to how mnu feel towards barca...

About rotation, any player that mnu will put can take care of Xavi/iniesta because of pride and dedication which is more of a factor for them than Real... We all know barca's lineup already and fergie will prepare a nice team to combat that - not nonsense.

[alon7777777]

Forget Webb, my mistake... But.. Mnu wrap up EPL this Sunday and have Blackburn/blackpool to wipe out easy.. While I bet Real will try to be stubborn until the end... But that's irrelevant really because my point is that barca were determined to beat Real rather than win CL which is similar to how mnu feel towards barca... About rotation, any player that mnu will put can take care of Xavi/iniesta because of pride and dedication which is more of a factor for them than Real... We all know barca's lineup already and fergie will prepare a nice team to combat that - not nonsense.

sounds so easy guys lets go all in on that its free money...no United will not wrap up shite this Sunday and even if they get a draw they'll slip up at Blackburn Chelsea will be champions and in that scenario maybe Mancs win the CL

[RubberKettle]

Lol @ 2. Did you not see the 2nd leg or Barca Real. The Mascherano dive was awful, yet UEFA have done nothing. Don't be surprised to see Rooney attempting another dive sometime this game.

3) Barca are a much better possession team than Man Utd. Barca are also one of the best teams off the ball. Watching their games this year, you see how compact they play and how quickly they close the ball down. Utd will not have more possession in this game than Barca. However Utd are one of the best counter-attacking teams in the world. They know they will have less possession than Barca, but they will rely on their ability to hit them on the counter. That is Utd at their best.

4) The stats for Utd's defence are impressive, but Barca have an attack that Utd won't have encountered all year. Barca are incredibly creative so they will find ways to hurt Utd. Plus Barca have Messi, need I say more?

UEFA will not punish players because they are not serious about getting this stuff out of the game. But that is not important. I was trying to explain how the ties with Madrid will have an impact on this game and I do not believe we will see a penalty or a red card even if such are warranted (as we saw in The World Cup Final).

Yes Barcelona are very good w/ out the ball, but if you can keep possession after they lose it for around 90 seconds their pressure subsides and they cannot keep such a high attacking line.

Barcelona will always have more possession no matter who they play and you are right about United on the counter, they are very fast and have players who can beat Barcelona's back line. As we saw when they played Arsenal if you can attack Barcelona quickly there are goals to be had.

Messi has not done it in England. I don't have the stats in front of me, but I cannot remember him scoring a UCL goal in England. If someone can provide the stats I will throw you some points.

[delpiero7]

Manchester United will win because

1. The game is at Wembley. A venue United know well and should be very comfortable playing in.
2. Barcelona's cheating has been making headlines. The referee will not send off a United player in this match, unless Paul Scholes finds his way onto the pitch. United and UEFA's referee's are hip to Barcelona's deception.
3. They can play football with Barcelona. Manchester United can keep possession and overcome the incessant pressure from Barcelona.
4. United's defense is the best in the world. If you look at that stats when the back 4 is healthy (Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Da Silva) they hardly ever concede. United have the ability to lock down the final 3rd of the field like no other team Barcelona have faced this season.

1. Barca went to their most hated rivals' stadium, controlled the game and won 2-0. If they can perform as they did in that situation, why not at Wembley?

2. A couple of seasons back Vidic used to be clueless against the pace and skill of Fernando Torres, and was repeatedly torn to shreds by him. He has improved a lot since then, but with a player like Messi opposing him, he may still be liable to the odd error. Also, Rafael is a known hothead, as is Rooney. Not to mention Scholes and his 'tackling'. Plenty of opportunity for a Man Utd player to get sent off.

3. I doubt they will able to go toe to toe with Barca for a full 90 mins. Somehow Barcelona can press the opposition for a full 90 minutes and not show the adverse effects that their opponents start showing after about an hour of chasing Barcelona shadows. Only way this situation could be avoided is if Man Utd score first and then allow Barcelona to play in front of them without pressing them hard. Vice versa, the situation is worsened if Barca score first.

4. I know they haven't conceded a single goal away from home this season in the Champs League (which is mighty impressive), but in the Premier League Man Utd have only kept five clean sheets in eighteen away games, and have conceded 2 or more goals in 9 of their 18 away matches to date. Not a very flattering stat for 'the best defence in the world'.

Plus all the stuff about Barca already having the league pretty much tied up, so can afford to rotate their squad for the last couple of games, whereas Man Utd will have to play a full strength 11 this weekend in a physical encounter with Chelsea, this increasing the risk of a first-teamer picking up an injury.

[Bluedragon]

Gonna be so fuking boring. I can't stand matches like this. Shakthar - Shalke is the type of match that a Champs league final should be. 6 goals scored, lots of risks taken, lots of running back to stop exciting counters...etc. If any of you have kids and you're having a damned of a time trying to get them to sleep, put this match on and watch the magic happen.

[RubberKettle]

sounds so easy guys lets go all in on that its free money...no United will not wrap up shite this Sunday and even if they get a draw they'll slip up at Blackburn Chelsea will be champions and in that scenario maybe Mancs win the CL

[alon7777777]

well if its funny to u pound United sunday with all your bankroll

[RubberKettle]

well if its funny to u pound United sunday with all your bankroll

I don't bet on my team guy. We will see.

But, I wouldn't want to be against a rested United at Old Trafford in a one off for the title.

[alon7777777]

I don't bet on my team guy. We will see. But, I wouldn't want to be against a rested United at Old Trafford in a one off for the title.

my name is not guy and your team is not that scary

[RubberKettle]

my name is not guy and your team is not that scary

Guy Chelsea are scared. EBJT is running off at the mouth already about how they will win.

[alon7777777]

[RubberKettle]

I thought Chelsea was coming to OT

[alon7777777]

I thought Chelsea was coming to OT

if pool beat your asses 4-1 at OT why Chelsea cant? just a reminder

[RubberKettle]

Why do you post this video from 2008/2009 season

You should of posted one from the 1-2 loss vs Chelsea last April.

[alon7777777]

cause scary teams dont lose to their rivals 4-1 at home plus Torres owns Vidic and fvckin Mancs defense and he's at Chelsea now

[The Special One]

Never said mnu wins, it's a draw... Which means mnu wins EPL because in Blackburn there will be no slip-up

[RubberKettle]

cause scary teams dont lose to their rivals 4-1 at home plus Torres owns Vidic and fvckin Mancs defense and he's at Chelsea now

Maybe if this was the 2009/2010 season. Torres is not the same player. Its quite obvious he has no more pace.

He's played United 4 times this year and been a non-factor every time. GL staking you cash on a player with one goal in his last 15 games.

[jordigs]

Manchester United will win because
3. They can play football with Barcelona. Manchester United can keep possession and overcome the incessant pressure from Barcelona.
4. United's defense is the best in the world. If you look at that stats when the back 4 is healthy (Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Da Silva) they hardly ever concede. United have the ability to lock down the final 3rd of the field like no other team Barcelona have faced this season.

I don't think so...

3. The ball is 70% for barça. Just remember the '09 final

4. I think Barça's defense are better. Alves - Puyol - Pique - Abidal (or Mascherano).

[alon7777777]

Maybe if this was the 2009/2010 season. Torres is not the same player. Its quite obvious he has no more pace. He's played United 4 times this year and been a non-factor every time. GL staking you cash on a player with one goal in his last 15 games.

now its the time for him to score a winner and all the negative will be forgotten and 50 mil will worth it

[RubberKettle]

I don't think so...
3. The ball is 70% for barça. Just remember the '09 final
4. I think Barça's defense are better. Alves - Puyol - Pique - Abidal (or Mascherano).

70%

They had between 53-51% of possession. UEFA's official report shows them at 51% possession. It also shows United had more possession in the 2nd half.

Alves is no defender, I would have to disagree about their backline being stronger.