Manchester United-Barcelona: Champions League Final Preview

Throughout this year, Manchester United and Barcelona have not only been the top teams in England and Spain respectively, but they are also the two best football clubs on the planet.

After completing the Spanish double by winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey, Barcelona have possibly been the best team in the world. But at the same time, Manchester United have won their third straight English Premier League title and are looking to win their second straight UEFA Champions League trophy, making them the first team since AC Milan in 1990 to accomplish that feat.

This final has also been billed as the "Dream Final," as along with how well both of these clubs have been playing this year, they also are considered to be the two most popular football clubs in the world, and the two best players in the world are competing in this match: Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United and Lionel Messi for Barcelona.

Here is a preview of the game from both the Manchester United side and from the Barcelona side for this game.

Manchester United

After dramatically winning the Champions League final in Moscow last year against English rival Chelsea on penalties, Manchester United made it their goal this year to get back to the title game and win the final.

So far this year, they haven't disappointed as they have found production from many different players this year in crucial situations, which has allowed them to get to the final in Rome and possibly repeat as champions.

Throughout the year, the primary key to Man Utd's success was their defense, which was led by Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and keeper Edwin van der Sar.

Also, United had great seasons from Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov, and defending FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, which allowed them to get big leads during multiple games and blow out multiple opponents.

Now in the Champions League final, Manchester United must contain the ferocious Barcelona attack, as if they are given any chances, they will most likely capitalize on their opportunities.

Man Utd defender Patrice Evra must repeat his great job of containing Messi during last year's Champions League semifinal.

Finally, they need their defense to play a clean game with no bookings.

On offense, United will probably have less possession time than Barcelona, so that means they must take complete advantage of any opportunities they might receive during the match.

Also, with the suspensions of Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal, Barcelona's defense is extremely weak, which could open up more chances for United. With the suspension of Alves, Ronaldo should get more opportunities on goal, which should allow him to work his magic for United on offensive opportunities.

Finally, if Manchester United could do all of these things, they will have a great chance of winning the Champions League final and repeating as European champions.

Barcelona

After having a great run in the Champions League stopped by Manchester United in the semifinals last season, Barcelona came out in the new season trying to win their second Champions League title in four years.

So far this year, Barcelona have just been phenomenal, as they have already accomplished the Spanish double (La Liga and the Copa del Rey). With a win against Man Utd in the final, they will become the first Spanish team to ever accomplish the treble, and they also will be the first team since Manchester United in 1999 to do this feat.

Throughout the year, the key for Barcelona has been their offense, as Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, and Lionel Messi have combined to score 94 goals in all competitions this season, which has allowed them to pull away from teams early and often.

Also throughout the year, Barcelona's defenders and their keeper Víctor Valdés have all helped keep Barcelona's defense in order, and players such as Xavi and Andrés Iniesta have stepped up in important matches all throughout the season, which has helped the team's chemistry.

Now in the Champions League final, Barcelona are going to have to overcome the absences of Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal due to suspension on defense, which means they will need to find a way to stop Man Utd's attack. They also cannot play like they did against Chelsea in the semifinals, as it will cost them any chance of winning this game over United.

On offense, Barcelona is going to face a healthy United defense with Rio Ferdinand back from injury, so they will need to find ways to get good opportunities on goal and hope United can make several mistakes to give them strong chances on goal.

They will need to have possession for a long period of time, and they also cannot make any mistakes while on offense, because it could jump-start the strong United counterattack.

If Barcelona could do all of these things, they will have a great chance of winning their second Champions League title in four years and becoming the first Spanish team to win the treble.

Finally on Wednesday, we should see the greatest Champions League final ever as these two giants both will want to win this game. In this game, both teams will play their best possible game, but only one of them will be out on top, as we will watch this game become the greatest Champions League final ever.