Chapter 1,039 High Profile and Low Profile

While Gao Xiaodong was desperately remodeling his body, the outside world was hyping up the upcoming peak showdown between him and Messi, Ferguson and Guardiola, and Manchester United and Barcelona.

This season, Manchester United and Barcelona have won the domestic league and cup championships. Whoever can win will win the second treble in the club's history and the fourth Champions League championship.

Manchester United and Barcelona are the two most popular teams this season, and they are also the two clubs with the best results in the past four years. Barcelona has entered the final for the third time in six years, and Manchester United has played twice in the past four seasons. Enter the finals. This game will be the 10th dialogue between Barcelona and Manchester United. The two sides have ended in draws 4 times before. Barcelona won 2 times and Manchester United won 3 times. This time, will Manchester United continue to win or Barcelona? Revenge is successful and very worth looking forward to.

This game is also a showdown between Manchester United coach Ferguson and Barcelona coach Guardiola.

Ferguson has won 12 domestic league titles, unmatched by anyone in the five major leagues. However, in the Champions League, there are still Ancelotti, Hitzfield, Mourinho, Del Bosque and Ferguson. If this final If Ferguson wins, he will surpass the above-mentioned five famous coaches and become the world's number one coach.

If Ferguson loses this final, Guardiola, who has already won the Champions League once, will become the first coach in Barcelona's history to lead his team to win the Champions League twice, and will also step on Ferguson's shoulders to become a world-class coach.

Ferguson emphasized concentration before the game: "We are not troubled by injuries and have a strong team. We can field four or five starting lineups, but this is not the key to winning. In the 2008 Champions League semi-finals, we eliminated Barcelona because of our extraordinary concentration. I think that will be especially important in Saturday's final."

Guardiola, who is competing to be the world's top coach, focused on the role of determination and confidence: "There are many factors that influence the finals, including tactical use, emotional control and understanding of yourself and your opponents. But one thing is more important than these, that is The team’s determination and confidence in winning the Champions League.”

There are many factors that determine the outcome of a football match, but the role of superstars is undoubtedly the most prominent and the most praised by fans.

The Champions League final held at Wembley Stadium was not only a contest between Ferguson and Guardiola, but also a contest between Gao Xiaodong and Messi.

Manchester United has no other signings except Gao Xiaodong this season. At the beginning of the season, Rooney was involved in a transfer. Manchester United was able to be aggressive in three lines, and Gao Xiaodong took the greatest credit.

Scored 37 goals in the league, top scorer, 18 assists, leader in assists, 14 goals in the Champions League, top scorer, Gao Xiaodong almost dragged Manchester United forward alone. Without Gao Xiaodong, I can’t believe what Manchester United can achieve this season. results.

And in Barcelona,

Messi is also shining brightly.

He scored 31 goals in the league, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo's 41 goals, and assisted 18 times, leading the assists list. He scored 11 goals in the Champions League, second only to Gao Xiaodong's 14 goals. In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, Messi scored 11 goals at Santiago Bernabeu. He scored a second goal and passed Real Madrid's entire defense to score a world-beating goal.

Although Messi does not score as many goals as Gao Xiaodong, his personal performances are more dazzling than Gao Xiaodong's, and Barcelona's style of play is also better. Although the results are similar, Messi has received more praise in world football than Gao Xiaodong. Xiaodong has more.

2011 is not a major competition year. Whether a player can win the Ballon d'Or mainly depends on the player's performance in the Champions League. For players like Gao Xiaodong and Messi, whoever wins the Champions League will almost be awarded this year's Ballon d'Or. prize.

Since the final is held at Wembley Stadium in London, there is no doubt that Manchester United has half a home advantage. If Manchester United ultimately wins, they will tie Bayern Munich and Ajax, and at the same time narrow the gap with Liverpool in the Champions League. two.

Therefore, the media believes that Manchester United has surpassed Liverpool in the top league championship rankings this season and has become the new king of English football. Now Manchester United should set its goal to catch up with Liverpool for the Champions League title. Only by tearing off Liverpool's last fig leaf will Liverpool people truly admit that Manchester United is the leader of English football.

Bobby Charlton, the greatest player in the history of English football, believes that Manchester United cannot be complacent because it has surpassed Liverpool in the league. It can only be proud after leading the Red Army in the Champions League: "The reason why Manchester United surpassed Liverpool's league championship record Not so special because they are still far behind the Red Army's fifth Champions League win. If Manchester United wants to become the greatest club in England, they need to make their results more dazzling on the Champions League stage. To be honest, I was not optimistic about Manchester United before. It is possible to achieve a breakthrough in the Champions League this season because this season looks more like a transition period for Manchester United. However, new aids Gao Xiaodong and Hernandez have quickly integrated into the team, and Rooney has also recovered quickly. At the peak, the situation has changed dramatically.”

Manchester United veteran Scholes also thinks so. He said that this is Manchester United's best opportunity to surpass Liverpool in an all-round way and dominate Europe, because most fans at Wembley Stadium will support Manchester United. For Manchester United, which is good at home games, This is a huge advantage. In addition, Manchester United has a psychological advantage against Barcelona. In a strong dialogue, this advantage often becomes very critical.

Veteran Giggs also believes that Manchester United needs to focus on the Champions League from this season. The best team must win the Champions League. As the leader of the Premier League, Manchester United should defend the honor of the Premier League's No. 1 league in the world.

Although Manchester United players are full of confidence and Manchester United has a geographical advantage, betting companies are still optimistic about Barcelona.

The winning odds offered by bwin for Barcelona are 1.9 to 1, and Manchester United's odds are 3.7 to 1. William Hill's odds are roughly similar. Barcelona's odds are 2.05 to 1, Manchester United is 4 to 1, and the odds of a draw are 3.10 to 1. Ladbrokes has given Barcelona a winning odds of 2 to 1, Manchester United has a odds of 3.75 to 1, and a draw odds of 3.4 to 1.

Although they are favored by bookmakers and media, Barcelona people keep a low profile. Although Messi is a competitor with Gao Xiaodong, he said that Gao Xiaodong is the biggest threat to Barcelona. "If I have to choose a player who can break Barcelona, ​​then I The first choice is Gao Xiaodong, his performance this season is amazing."

Xavi said that Manchester United is one of the best teams this season. They are very strong and they eliminated Barcelona three years ago. This final will be an extremely tough game.

Barcelona head coach Guardiola also expressed weakness to the media: "Manchester United is fighting on home soil, and I am very worried about their strength. The team as a whole is very strong. I respect them very much and am afraid of everything about them, so Manchester United is definitely more popular than Barcelona." Compared with two years ago, Manchester United's strength has not declined. Although Ronaldo is gone, they still have Gao Xiaodong, and the head coach is still Ferguson. This time they face Manchester United in London. It is really an exaggeration to say that Barcelona is more favored. , I don’t think Barcelona are favorites, and if everyone says so, the players themselves will be misled.”

Whether it is low-key or high-profile, the finale of this season's European football will attract the attention of fans all over the world. Whether it is Manchester United winning the championship in local competition, or Barcelona aiming to dominate for the second time in three years, it will create a new era. history.