New Delhi: Champions League final is just hours away and all the attention of every football fan has turned to one of the biggest finals between arguably the two best teams in the world, Barcelona and Manchester United.
So far, both sides have won their respective domestic crowns and can claim that they are among the greatest ever sides ever to have won Europes' elite competetion.
The match will also showcase some of the greatest footballers in the world in Lionel Messi, David Villa, Xavi, Andres Inieista and Carles Puyol for Barcelona and Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Edwin Van der Sar for Manchester United.
In the 2009 final, Manchester United showed up for all of 10 minutes before they fell apart and allowed Barcelona to take over and simply outplay them in every department of the game. The performance was surely one of the worst from the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson in any cup final.
The biggest question in everybody's mind is that whether Manchester United will learn from their mistakes. They have been in fine form in Europe this season and are unbeaten on the road so far. Barcelona too have been in sublime form having lost just a single match against Arsenal on the road to Wembley.
Looking at the two sides there is no doubt that Barcelona are the favourites to lift the title and they will seek to seal their status as the finest team of their generation. A second triumph in three years -- and their third since 2006 -- will provide for irrefutable proof that Pep Guardiola's team deserve to be bracketed alongside the legendary teams like Real Madrid's 1950s vintage, Johan Cruyff's Ajax or the Dutch-influenced AC Milan of the 1990s.
On the other hand, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has never spoken in detail about what he believes went wrong in 2009 and the revenge will surely be on his and his team's mind.
Ferguson has hinted that he is leaning towards a tactical approach that is more in keeping with United's attacking traditions. To prevail at Wembley they will have to come up with a gameplan that can neutralise an attack led by Lionel Messi, operating in front of a bejweled midfield encrusted with the twin talents of Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
Messi has been in magical form for Barcelona in Europe, contributing 11 goals and evoking tributes from some admirers that he already deserves to be ranked alongside the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona.
One more goal on Saturday will see Messi equal former Red Devil Ruud van Nistlerooy's record of 12 in a single Champions League campaign.
United will take encouragement from the fact that other teams have already demonstrated that Barcelona can be vulnerable against opponents who counter-attack at speed.
Arsenal scored a 2-1 victory over the Catalans in the last 16 first leg in February, stunning Guardiola's men with two late goals to claim a narrow advantage before the second leg.
For both the teams, the Champions League will be an icing on the cake, financially as well. A new financial study commissioned by MasterCard revealed that a record windfall for the winners. The losers will also benefit to the tune of an estimated 63 million Pounds.
The report also said the final will be worth 45 million Pounds to the host city, London, and the city of the club that wins is likely to receive an economic boost of 15 million Pounds through increased tourism and increased local expenditure.
But let the financiers and accountants take care of all the cash. On Saturday night, it's glory alone that beckons United and Barca.
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