UEFA Champions League 2011: 3 Reasons Manchester United Will Dethrone Barcelona

With the 2011 UEFA Champions League getting underway, there is no question who is favored to win it all.

Barcelona, which won the title last year and has won two of the past three years, is heavily favored to do it again in 2011.

There are certainly going to be roadblocks, though, namely Manchester United.

Barcelona up-ended Man U in the finals last season, and the Red Devils will certainly be out for revenge. It may be true that no team can match Barcelona's talent level, but Manchester United is close.

Here are three reasons why Man U will exact revenge on Barcelona in the 2011 UEFA Champions League.

Wayne Rooney

While Barcelona possesses the consensus best player in the world in Lionel Messi, Manchester United has the heart and soul of world football in striker Wayne Rooney. As mystifying and skilled as Messi is, Rooney is the type of warrior who can excel in big-game situations.

Rooney has demolished his competition early in the Premier League season with eight goals in four games, all of which have been dominant performances for the Red Devils.

Rooney may be playing at a higher level than anyone in the world at this point, and you get the feeling that he has the ability to out Man U on his back even if his teammates aren't playing to their full potential.

Momentum

While there is no denying Barcelona's incredible talent pool, they haven't been as dominant as Manchester United over the past few weeks.

While Man U has steamrolled its opponents, Barcelona has gotten off to a slow start by their standards.

Barcelona opened La Liga play with a 5-0 thrashing of Villareal, but a 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad shows that Barcelona may not be head-and-shoulders above all other teams.

Real Sociedad has a solid squad, but there is no question that Manchester United would blow them out of the water.

However small they may be, Barcelona has chinks in the armor, and Man U doesn't need a big opening to take advantage.

The "Miami Heat" Syndrome

When a team possesses a wealth of talent as great as Barcelona, expectations are sky-high and often unrealistic.

Just ask the NBA's Miami Heat. After signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to the team with Dwyane Wade, the Heat became instant favorites to win the NBA Championship.

While Miami had a great season and made it to the finals, it ultimately lost and the season was labeled a failure.

This is the case for Barcelona. With players like Lionel Messi, David Villa, Cesc Fabregas and so many more, anything short of a championship is unacceptable.

This is always the case with Man U as well, but Barcelona is the unquestioned favorite, meaning that the Red Devils are labeled the "underdog."

No matter how good a particular team is, winning a championship in a league with the world's best teams two years in a row and three out of four years is an extremely tall task.

All of the pressure will squarely be on the shoulders of Barcelona, and this should allow Man U to take advantage and win its fourth UEFA Champions League title.