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Barcelona chasing greatness against Man United

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-05-24 16:50

Barcelona's Lionel Messi attends a training session at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, May 23, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - For Barcelona, the Champions League final offers more than the chance to collect another glittering title - it's the opportunity to further advance its claims as football's greatest club side.

Premier League champion Manchester United is a suitably illustrious opponent for a Barcelona team seeking to justify its place alongside the great Real Madrid sides of the 1950s and '60s.

More about Barca VS Man United:  Fergie eyes Euro glory after title win  Penpics of Barcelona's key players behind victory  Barca beats Man United 2-0 in final

Ominously for United, Barcelona has improved significantly since beating the English side in the 2009 final.

Having won the title in a penalty shootout against Chelsea a year earlier, United was expected to seriously challenge Barcelona in a free-flowing final in Rome but the Spanish side barely had to move out of second gear to secure a 2-0 win.

Powered by the goals of Lionel Messi and inspired by the midfielder of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, Barcelona has clinched a third straight Spanish title this season and typically taken two-thirds possession in its Champions League matches against supposedly Europe's strongest sides.

Still, Manchester United has extra motivation after its meek performance in 2009 and is on a high after breaking Liverpool's 21-year-old record to clinch a 19th English championship.

"You never get bored of celebrations like this," United striker Wayne Rooney said. "This is what you play football to do, to win trophies and medals." Manchester United also has history at Wembley.

As well as the multiple domestic cups it won there, United won the 1968 European Cup - its first - at the north London stadium with a 4-1 win over Benfica.

Manchester United's manager Alex Ferguson holds the English Premier League trophy following their English Premier League soccer match against Blackpool at Old Trafford, northern England, May 22, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is set to retire after the match and wants his teammates to further strengthen that connection. "Manchester United is the biggest club in the world," Van der Sar said. "Now we have to get that trophy."

United has few injury concerns ahead of the match, with midfielder Darren Fletcher having played in Sunday's final league match against Blackpool. Fletcher, who missed the 2009 final because of suspension, had played just once in two months before Sunday's 4-2 win.

Captain Nemanja Vidic was replaced late in the game with a slight limp but should be fit to play alongside regular defensive colleague Rio Ferdinand.