• United became the third English team in four seasons to eliminate Barcelona from the UEFA Champions League when they defeated them 1-0 on aggregate in last season's semi-finals. Paul Scholes, scorer of the only goal in the second leg at Old Trafford on 29 April, actually made his debut in the competition against Barcelona in the clubs' 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in October 1994.
• United midfielder Ryan Giggs is another survivor of the sides' group-stage meetings in 1994/95, while Barcelona coach Guardiola featured for the Blaugrana.
• Giggs and Scholes scored the opening two goals of the 3-3 draw between the teams in September 1998 at Old Trafford, while Gary Neville and Scholes figured in the return at the Camp Nou two months later.
• Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué was an unused United substitute in last season's semi-final first leg between the teams in Spain. He did not make the bench for the second leg nor for the final against Chelsea. Piqué joined United in 2004 after spending seven years in Barcelona's youth ranks. He made 23 appearances in all competitions for the Old Trafford club, scoring two goals – both in last season's UEFA Champions League, including United's goal in a 1-1 group-stage draw at Roma on Matchday 6 – before rejoining Barcelona last summer.
• Barcelona's overall record against English clubs is: W20 D17 L15.
• United's overall record against Spanish clubs is: W10 D16 L11.
• The Old Trafford team have recorded five goalless draws in their last six matches against Spanish opposition.
• Curiously, given his impressive scoring feats in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona forward Messi has not found the net in ten games against English opponents in the competition. The same goes for Ronaldo in his six previous outings against Spanish sides, the Portuguese international missing an early penalty at the Camp Nou in last season's semi-final first leg.
• Barcelona forward Thierry Henry spent eight years with United's Premier League rivals Arsenal (1999-2007) and scored nine goals in 18 appearances against the Old Trafford outfit for the Gunners.
• Eidur Gudjohnsen (Chelsea, 2000-2006), Aleksandr Hleb (Arsenal, 2005-2008) and Sylvinho (Arsenal, 1999-2001) also know all about United from their time in England.
• There have been nine previous Anglo-Spanish finals in UEFA club competition with English teams holding a 5-4 advantage:
• This is the fourth European Cup final staged at the Stadio Olimpico. Two of the previous three have brought an English triumph:
• Barcelona coach Guardiola knows the arena well having spent the 2002/03 season with Roma.
• Barcelona have visited the Stadio Olimpico twice before. In 1975/76 they were 3-0 winners at S.S. Lazio in a UEFA Cup second-round tie, but they lost by the same score to Roma in the UEFA Champions League second group stage in 2001/02.
• United won at this stadium last season, following that draw with Roma on Matchday 6 by beating the same opponents 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with goals from Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Rooney was also on target at the Stadio Olimpico at the same stage of the competition 12 months earlier, although on that occasion United went down to a 2-1 defeat against the Giallorossi.
• Another individual in the spotlight is United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar who is hoping to collect a third UEFA Champions League winners' medal at a stadium where he finished on the losing side in the 1996 final with Ajax. Ajax went down on penalties to Juventus then, but it was Van der Sar's spot-kick save from Nicolas Anelka which secured United's victory in another final shoot-out against Chelsea 12 months ago.
• The Dutchman could taste UEFA Champions League success 14 years after winning with Ajax in 1995. Milan's Paolo Maldini holds the record for the longest span between his first and final European Cup successes – recording triumphs in 1989 and 2007.
• Barcelona's Víctor Valdés, Carles Puyol and Samuel Eto'o all started their 2006 final win against Arsenal. Iniesta came on at half-time while Xavi Hernández and Sylvinho were unused substitutes. Eto'o scored Barça's equaliser in a 2-1 win against an opposing side that included Henry and substitute Hleb, now both Barcelona players.
• The full Barcelona lineup for that last final appearance on 17 May 2006 was:
Víctor Valdés, Oleguer Presas (Juliano Belletti 71), Rafael Márquez, Carles Puyol, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Deco, Edmílson (Andrés Iniesta 46), Mark van Bommel (Henrik Larsson 61), Ludovic Giuly, Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho.
• United's starting lineup for their final win against Chelsea in Moscow on 21 May last year was:
Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown (Anderson 120), Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić, Patrice Evra, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes (Ryan Giggs 87), Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tévez, Wayne Rooney (Nani 101).
• Giggs and Neville are the only survivors of the United's 1999 UEFA Champions League-winning team, Scholes famously missing the final through suspension.
• United full-back Patrice Evra tasted UEFA Champions League final defeat with AS Monaco FC in 2004, and forward Dimitar Berbatov suffered the same fate as a substitute for Bayer 04 Leverkusen against another Spanish side, Real Madrid, in 2002.
• Barcelona's shoot-out record in UEFA club competitions is:
• United's record is:
• Ji-Sung Park, who is hoping to become the first Korean footballer to appear in a UEFA Champions League final, took Korea Republic's final spot-kick in their 5-3 shoot-out victory against a Spain side featuring Puyol and Xavi in the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals. Xavi also found the net in the shoot-out.
• Carlos Tévez, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson and Ryan Giggs all converted their penalties in last season's final, but Ronaldo had his shot saved.
source : www.uefa.com
• United midfielder Ryan Giggs is another survivor of the sides' group-stage meetings in 1994/95, while Barcelona coach Guardiola featured for the Blaugrana.
• Giggs and Scholes scored the opening two goals of the 3-3 draw between the teams in September 1998 at Old Trafford, while Gary Neville and Scholes figured in the return at the Camp Nou two months later.
• Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué was an unused United substitute in last season's semi-final first leg between the teams in Spain. He did not make the bench for the second leg nor for the final against Chelsea. Piqué joined United in 2004 after spending seven years in Barcelona's youth ranks. He made 23 appearances in all competitions for the Old Trafford club, scoring two goals – both in last season's UEFA Champions League, including United's goal in a 1-1 group-stage draw at Roma on Matchday 6 – before rejoining Barcelona last summer.
• Barcelona's overall record against English clubs is: W20 D17 L15.
• United's overall record against Spanish clubs is: W10 D16 L11.
• The Old Trafford team have recorded five goalless draws in their last six matches against Spanish opposition.
• Curiously, given his impressive scoring feats in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona forward Messi has not found the net in ten games against English opponents in the competition. The same goes for Ronaldo in his six previous outings against Spanish sides, the Portuguese international missing an early penalty at the Camp Nou in last season's semi-final first leg.
• Barcelona forward Thierry Henry spent eight years with United's Premier League rivals Arsenal (1999-2007) and scored nine goals in 18 appearances against the Old Trafford outfit for the Gunners.
• Eidur Gudjohnsen (Chelsea, 2000-2006), Aleksandr Hleb (Arsenal, 2005-2008) and Sylvinho (Arsenal, 1999-2001) also know all about United from their time in England.
• There have been nine previous Anglo-Spanish finals in UEFA club competition with English teams holding a 5-4 advantage:
- 2006 UEFA Champions League, Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal
- 2006 UEFA Cup, Sevilla FC 4-0 Middlesbrough FC
- 2001 UEFA Cup, Liverpool 5-4 Deportivo Alavés
- 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Real Zaragoza 2-1 Arsenal
- 1991 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Manchester United 2-1 Barcelona
- 1981 European Cup, Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid
- 1980 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Valencia CF 0-0 Arsenal (5-4 pens)
- 1971 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Chelsea 2-1 Real Madrid (replay after 1-1 draw)
- 1963 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Tottenham Hotspur FC 5-1 Club Atlético de Madrid
• This is the fourth European Cup final staged at the Stadio Olimpico. Two of the previous three have brought an English triumph:
- 1976/77 Liverpool 3-1 VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach
- 1983/84 AS Roma 1-1 Liverpool (2-4 pens)
- 1995/96 AFC Ajax 1-1 Juventus (2-4 pens)
• Barcelona coach Guardiola knows the arena well having spent the 2002/03 season with Roma.
• Barcelona have visited the Stadio Olimpico twice before. In 1975/76 they were 3-0 winners at S.S. Lazio in a UEFA Cup second-round tie, but they lost by the same score to Roma in the UEFA Champions League second group stage in 2001/02.
• United won at this stadium last season, following that draw with Roma on Matchday 6 by beating the same opponents 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with goals from Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Rooney was also on target at the Stadio Olimpico at the same stage of the competition 12 months earlier, although on that occasion United went down to a 2-1 defeat against the Giallorossi.
• Another individual in the spotlight is United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar who is hoping to collect a third UEFA Champions League winners' medal at a stadium where he finished on the losing side in the 1996 final with Ajax. Ajax went down on penalties to Juventus then, but it was Van der Sar's spot-kick save from Nicolas Anelka which secured United's victory in another final shoot-out against Chelsea 12 months ago.
• The Dutchman could taste UEFA Champions League success 14 years after winning with Ajax in 1995. Milan's Paolo Maldini holds the record for the longest span between his first and final European Cup successes – recording triumphs in 1989 and 2007.
• Barcelona's Víctor Valdés, Carles Puyol and Samuel Eto'o all started their 2006 final win against Arsenal. Iniesta came on at half-time while Xavi Hernández and Sylvinho were unused substitutes. Eto'o scored Barça's equaliser in a 2-1 win against an opposing side that included Henry and substitute Hleb, now both Barcelona players.
• The full Barcelona lineup for that last final appearance on 17 May 2006 was:
Víctor Valdés, Oleguer Presas (Juliano Belletti 71), Rafael Márquez, Carles Puyol, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Deco, Edmílson (Andrés Iniesta 46), Mark van Bommel (Henrik Larsson 61), Ludovic Giuly, Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho.
• United's starting lineup for their final win against Chelsea in Moscow on 21 May last year was:
Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown (Anderson 120), Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić, Patrice Evra, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes (Ryan Giggs 87), Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tévez, Wayne Rooney (Nani 101).
• Giggs and Neville are the only survivors of the United's 1999 UEFA Champions League-winning team, Scholes famously missing the final through suspension.
• United full-back Patrice Evra tasted UEFA Champions League final defeat with AS Monaco FC in 2004, and forward Dimitar Berbatov suffered the same fate as a substitute for Bayer 04 Leverkusen against another Spanish side, Real Madrid, in 2002.
• Barcelona's shoot-out record in UEFA club competitions is:
- 5-4 v Lech Poznán, 1988/89 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round
- 0-2 v Steaua Bucureşti, 1985/86 European Cup final
- 5-4 v IFK Göteborg, 1985/86 European Cup semi-final
- 4-1 v RSC Anderlecht, 1978/79 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round
- 3-1 v Ipswich Town FC, 1977/78 UEFA Cup third round
- 5-4 v AZ Alkmaar, 1977/78 UEFA Cup second round
• United's record is:
- 6-5 v Chelsea, 2007/08 UEFA Champions League final
- 3-4 v Torpedo Moskva, 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round
- 4-5 v Fehérvár, 1984/85 UEFA Cup quarter-finals
• Ji-Sung Park, who is hoping to become the first Korean footballer to appear in a UEFA Champions League final, took Korea Republic's final spot-kick in their 5-3 shoot-out victory against a Spain side featuring Puyol and Xavi in the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals. Xavi also found the net in the shoot-out.
• Carlos Tévez, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson and Ryan Giggs all converted their penalties in last season's final, but Ronaldo had his shot saved.
source : www.uefa.com
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