The time has finally come for the biggest sporting event in 2011. We couldn’t have asked for two better teams in this final with the best of Spain going up against the best of England. Both sides won their first European Cup at the old Wembley Stadium, Manchester United back in 1968 under the late Sir Matt Busby, and Barcelona back in 1992 under Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. Since both clubs have achieved their first triumphs, both clubs have come a very long way in the last 20 years, and turned into two of the most powerful football clubs on the planet. Back in the 2009 final in Rome, the English Champions were heavily favored to defend their title they won in Moscow in 2008, and Barcelona were the underdog. That day, the Catalan giants came out on top and won 2-0 while going from strength to strength after that by winning six trophies in one year. Fast forward to today, it’s Barcelona who are the favorites and rightly so, but their form hasn’t been at where we are used to seeing from Pep Guardiola’s men. Guardiola’s opposite number, Sir Alex Ferguson has his boys on a nice run at the end of season, and wrapping up their record 19th English league title overtaking bitter rival Liverpool in the process.

If we take a look at both teams and how they’ll lineup it should be a very interesting tactical match up. Starting with Barcelona, it doesn’t take a genus to figure out that Guardiola will go for his usual 4-3-3 formation that has been tried and trusted with this group of players for so long. Every player in the squad knows their roles to perfection, and are all firm believers in the team cause. In other words, the team is the superstar is the motto at Barcelona. Victor Valdes will be in goal as always, and is the one possible weak link in this lineup for the Spanish giants. Sitting in front of Valdes will be Brazilian fullback Dani Alves on the right, with maybe captain Carles Puyol playing at left back. If that’s the case, the two center backs will be former United player Gerard Pique and Argentinean captain Javier Mascherano. While his position is defensive midfield, Mascherano has proven a very good option at the center of defense for Guardiola if needed. Eric Abidal is also available if need be.

In the midfield, Two of the best footballers in the world aim to control the tempo of the game as always, Xavi Hernandez, and Andres Iniesta. Usually sitting beside them is Sergio Busquets who is the perfect compliment to both Xavi and Iniesta. Mascherano is also another option if needed. It’s hard to say who’s the better player between Xavi and Iniesta. Xavi’s passing ability makes the side tick, but with Iniesta’s magnificent movement off the ball, it gives Xavi that much more options to do what he does best.

The three front players are also top draw. Pedro Rodriguez should get the start on the left, with the world’s best player (Xavi and Iniesta should also be rightly included in this conversation) Lionel Messi on the right, with Spain hitman David Villa in the middle. Messi will get the most attention, and rightly so, but he wouldn’t be as good if it were not for the players around him. Villa, and Rodriguez are also great at moving off the ball and creating space for Messi to dribble into, and unleash his pure magic.

If we look at Manchester United, it’s pretty much a formality of how they’ll lineup in a 4-4-2, or 4-4-1-1 formation depending on what Sir Alex Ferguson goes with. Dutch stopper van der Sar will be in goal for the last time, while in front of him will see Patrice Evra at left back, and one of three out of Rafael, Fabio, or Irishman John O’Shea. O’Shea has been starting there of late, while Rafael was there most of the season until recent games. In the middle it’s always going to be Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Vidic is a very solid defender who rarely puts a foot wrong, while Ferdinand has had a stop/start season. Vidic has had trouble against Fernando Torres in the past, and with Villa playing as a similar striker to Torres, one wonders whether Vidic can be exposed?

A flat midfield is expected from Ferguson to keep that area of the pitch tight so Barcelona struggle to find their rhythm and passing game. Veteran Ryan Giggs is expected to start in the center, even after all the bad news that has surfaced around him this past week from a usually great role model for the game. Next to him should be Michael Carrick, who can be exposed, so tactical discipline will be very important. On the flanks, Nani will provide flair United will need, while South Korean workhorse Park Ji-Sung will be on the other. Park is a very important player for United, and more important then most fans and pundits realize. A very similar style to Dirk Kuyt, Park will run all day on both ends of the ball for the cause.

Up front, withdrawn striker will be England striker Wayne Rooney and will likely be given a free role to roam where he likes and be the link between the midfield and the main striker. That main striker will be Mexican superstar Javier ‘Chicarito’ Hernandez who has had an excellent debut season for United. For him to be successful, it’s crucial he’ll need service from the midfield, and front he full backs on the flanks. United will probably play on the counter attack today, so as mentioned with some players, it’s very important for the whole team to have tactical discipline, which was lacking two years ago in Rome.

Both sides will go into this one very confident, and rightly deserve to be there. We know who the favorites are in this one, but these finals are never won on paper, as the final in 2009 has already shown us.

Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Manchester United (Pedro and Messi for Barcelona, Hernandez for United)

By Geoff Reid

It’s been a very good UEFA Champions League season with a dream final for most fans, and neutral fans at that. You can also definitely say that from a marketing perspective, you couldn’t have asked for a better final, maybe a Barcelona vs Real Madrid final arguably, but we already saw that in the semi finals. Manchester United are the world’s most marketable sports franchise, while Barcelona are not far behind, and possess the world’s best player in Lionel Messi.Now of course, this is a repeat of the final from two years ago in Rome which the Catalan giants won 2-0. Fast forward to today, the difference on paper is Barcelona seem to have just gotten stronger, while Manchester United have gotten weaker with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez moving on to greener pastures new. Both sides came through their respective groups with ease.

Barcelona topped Group D with 14 points without losing a match, and four ahead of second place and surprise FC kobenhavn from Denmark. It would be the round of 16 match up where Barcelona had their biggest test against Arsenal. Having lost the first leg in North London 2-1, a very tense second leg in Camp Nou awaited with a Spanish Champions winning 3-1 on the night in very dramatic fashion, and 4-3 on aggregate.

Next in the quarter finals it was the surprise package from the Ukraine Shaktar Donetsk but their magical run came to an end with Barcelona beating them 6-1 on aggregate. This set up a dream semi final with Real Madrid, and coinciding with a league game, and Spanish Copa Del Rey final, the two Spanish giants faced each other four times over the space of three weeks. While the galacticos from Madrid won the Copa Del Rey, and the league match only a draw, Barcelona got the last laugh by knocking their bitter rivals out 3-1 on aggregate. Even more impressive was winning 2-0 in Madrid, and the magic of Messi that night.

What Barcelona achieved two years ago winning six trophies, and more importantly every tournament they entered in 2009, they cannot replicate that by winning the Champions League this season. However, Wembley is where they won their first European Cup, when that was the name of the tournament, in 1992 under Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. Is this Barcelona side better then the one in 1992? You can’t really compare teams from different generations so their is no way of telling, but one thing that is important is the Dutch style that Cruyff brought to Catalonia back when he played for the club in the 1970′s and took over as manager in 1988 is stamped onto today’s team managed by Pep Guardiola who was one of Cruyff’s best pupils as a player.

For the newly crowned English champions Manchester United it was largely the same during the group stages having topped their group with 14 points, and were four clear of second place Valencia and going unbeaten in the process. In the last 16, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side met the 1993 Champions Marseille and while the first leg on the Mediterranean coast in southern France was a bore 0-0 draw, United did what they had to do in the second leg by winning 2-1.

It was the quarter final match up that drew attention facing Premier League rival Chelsea. The first leg took place in west London with United winning off a Wayne Rooney goal at Stamford Bridge. The second leg at Old Trafford was more of the same from United, who were rarely challenged until it was too late for Chelsea and by winning 2-1 on the night, the red devils got the 3-1 aggregate score.

During the semi finals, Schalke were the opposition, one of the many surprises from this season’s tournament. Nobody expected the German side to get this far, especially with their poor league form in the Bundesliga. Needless to say, United were not going to overlook them, and with a 2-0 win in the first leg in Gelsenkirchen, Sir Alex Ferguson had the luxury of being able to rest some players for the second leg. With that in mind, United still ended up winning 4-1 at home, and a total of 6-1 on aggregate.

What’s interesting is that as mentioned before, on paper this United squad is considerably weaker, but by no means does that mean anything. After winning the Premier League for a record 19th time, this would complete an excellent season for the club, and it will be goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar’s last game as a professional at the age of 40. A legend at Ajax, with the Holland national team, and in the tournament itself, he won the Champions League way back in 1995 with Ajax and the great team they had then. He had to wait until 2008 when United beat English rivals Chelsea on penalty kicks in Moscow, and this would be the perfect end to his career.

Check back later in the week for a preview of the match from Wembley Stadium, and first European Final since Wembley was rebuilt.

Editor’s Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVHooligan.com each week. Today he comes back to preview the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United.

Team news: Rio Ferdinand has just today declared himself fit which is massive for Manchester United, especially for Nemanja Vidic who has looked shaky without his fellow center half. United defense picks itself with the evergreen Edwin Van der Sar in goal and the back four consisting of Patrice Evra at left back and Rafael at right back with Ferdinand and Vidic in the middle. What will be interesting is what Sir Alex Ferguson does with his midfield. Does he go with the always reliable Ji-Sung Park on the left wing, or does he go for Wayne Rooney who has looked good on the left? Cristiano Ronaldo will take his place on the right wing in what possibly could be his last game for the club. Michael Carrick will be the holding midfielder with his partner in central midfield most likely being Paul Scholes if Ferguson is going for a 4-4-2. Ferguson could also use Park on the left wing, have Carrick playing deep just in front of the back four, and have Scholes in the middle pushing forward to support a strike force of Carlos Tevez and Rooney in a 4-1-3-2 formation. Either way, United has plenty of options with Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov, Anderson, Nani and Danny Welbeck coming off the bench.

For Barcelona, Victor Valdes will have his hands full not only with United’s attack, but with some pieces of his defense missing. Eric Abidal is suspended for getting sent off against Chelsea in the semi final second leg even though it was nowhere near a red card. Also serving a suspension is Dani Alves who has a yellow card accumulation. Mexican National Team captain Rafa Marquez is out injured but that shouldn’t make much of a difference defensively, if anything, it should help the Catalans in that department, however, they will miss his passing. Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta are in a race against time to be fit, but should be good to go. Pep Guardiola has a number of options for his defense with players missing. Expect Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Yaya Toure and Gabriel Milito to make up the back four. Xavi Hernandez and Seydou Keita should hold down the central midfield area with Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets if Iniesta is not a go starting out wide, but will tend to drift inside. Samuel Eto’o will get the nod up front with Henry if the Frenchman passes the fitness test. Either way, Guardiola has plenty of options off his bench with former Chelsea frontman Eidur Gudjohnsen and wonder kid Bojan Krkic available.

Sir Alex Ferguson vs Pep Guardiola: Over 30 years of managerial experience vs one year! Sir Alex has won everything their is in the game, and yet he’s still hungry for more. If he can guide United to back to back Champions League titles on top of three straight seasons winning the Premiership, it will certainly be a first. Money has most definitely helped him build his last two great sides, but nobody can argue his man management skills in getting his players to play as one team. Same must be said for Guardiola after Frank Rijkaard’s side looked a little out of sorts a year ago. Both sides hit a little rough patch at about the same time but came through it unscathed. Should be a very good tactical matchup between one of the greatest managers of all time and a young up and coming manager with potential.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Could this match decide who the best player in the world is? Possibly. Certainly it would go a long way for whoever will win FIFA World Player of The Year in December although I never understood that part about that award because the accomplishment is based on the season until May and not afterwords. Ronaldo last season scored 42 goals in all competitions, yet by the time Euro 2008 came around, by his standards, underperformed. These two should cross each others path’s quite often tomorrow night.

My Pick: It pains me to say it but I just don’t see how you can look past United here. Barcelona has defensive issues which makes it harder for them. I think it will be a close match, but the final score will be 2-1 United, possibly going into extra time.

Arsenal (ENG) vs Manchester United (ENG) at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, United leads 1-0 on aggregate

If we learned anything from the first leg last week it was that Arsenal looked toothless in attack without Andriy Arshavin. What was particularly disappointing was the play of Theo Walcott. He didn’t give Emmanuel Adebayor the service he needed to do what he gets paid to do. To be fair to Walcott, his first responsibility was to do the dirty work and help out on defense since the Gunners were playing at Old Trafford and United were going to attack from the opening whistle. However, it’s his job to help the strikers on counter attacks and with his pace, he should have done better. Some of the blame also lies with Samir Nasri.

What Arsene Wenger will do is attack from the start and play open, attractive football. What the Gunners must be careful of is conceding a goal. At 1-0 the tie is still very much open, but if United get an away goal, the tie will swing massively in their favor. Wenger can also count himself and his team lucky because if it wasn’t for possibly England’s new number one Manuel Almunia, they would have had a daunting task in front of them. Expect Arsenal to try to open the game up and use the flanks to stretch United as teams have done in recent weeks and been fairly successful.

The one thing Sir Alex Ferguson will regret from last weeks performance was that his team didn’t score more goals and get more of an aggregate lead. Carlos Tevez or Wayne Rooney should start up front again due to the lack of form of Dimitar Berbatov. While whoever starts up top should be flanked by Cristiano Ronaldo on the right and Park Ji-Sung or Rooney on the left if Tevez gets the nod in the lone role. Rio Ferdinand should be healthy enough after having a little bruising to the ribs. The United captain was rested this weekend with the semi-final in mind. His leadership will be key for the red devils to thwart Adebayor and the deep runs from Walcott, Nasri and Cesc Fabregas. Can’t help but think this is also a match made for Paul Scholes after he tends to show up in the big games such as last season’s semi-final second leg against Barcelona netting the winner.

United will go through to the final for the second season in a row because they will steal at least one away goal and therefore Arsenal would have to score three goals and with Arshavin being cup-tied, their attack looks fairly predictable with United just overpowering the Gunners with quality player for player.

Chelsea (ENG) vs Barcelona (ESP) at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, 0-0 on aggregate.

It’s definitely fair to say that my prediction for an open match in the Camp Nou went out the window very quickly. Once again, Guus Hiddink demonstrated why he is one of the best managers in the world. His temporary Chelsea team were organized and didn’t make one mistake. It wasn’t attractive for the neutral that’s for sure, but if I were a Blues fan I would be delighted…even Didier Drogba was helping out defensively.

The Dutch manager had his troops push high up the pitch and didn’t give Barcelona any room to play their fantastic passing game. You would have thought Real Madrid would learn from the west London club but obviously didn’t know how to get tight enough on Saturday. In the second leg, expect Hiddink to loosen the leash on his players and therefore keep an eye out for the deep runs from Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Michael Ballack to support Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.

For Barcelona, what will be interesting to see is how will Pep Guardiola try to combat Chelsea’s attacking threat since Barcelona are one of the best attacking sides in the world themselves. They don’t play defensively all that much and therefore expect the Catalan giants to push forward from the start.

Drawing 0-0 at home was not a bad result at all for them because they’ve proven they can score anywhere, and in Europe the away goals rule has proven a massive advantage. All they need is a scoring draw. If Barcelona can play a little bit quicker against Chelsea and step up the pace of their off the ball movement just a tiny bit faster they could get the away goals that are so important. They have the players to do so and nobody needs reminding of the talent they have on offer.

A repeat of last season’s final is what’s calling out here. Barcelona will score, but Chelsea have gotten their home edge back that stuck around for four years before Liverpool broke it earlier in the season. Guus Hiddink has got them very organized so he won’t completely let the Blues play with freedom, but don’t be surprised if Lampard gets a free role. Rome will see Manchester United vs Chelsea at the end of the month in the Stadio Olimpico.

Editor’s Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVHooligan.com weekly, typically every Monday. He continues his look this week at the UEFA Champions League.

FC Barcelona (ESP) vs Chelsea (ENG) at Camp Nou Tuesday

If the Chelsea vs Liverpool tie the previous round looked to be a bore at best on paper, certainly this tie looks a classic. However, the last round showed us that on paper, it doesn’t matter.

The Catalan giants are the most feared attacking team in the world and why wouldn’t they be with players such as Messi, Eto, Henry, Iniesta, Dani Alves and Xavi Hernandez. They wrapped up their tie against Bayern Munich in the first leg, this time Chelsea will be a much sterner test and especially against Guus Hiddink who is one of the best managers around and certainly is not lucky in any way. He knows how to get the best out of his players and his players respond every time.

The key for the whole tie, not only this first leg, will be how Chelsea will try to combat Barcelona’s free, flowing football. Forgotten in all of this hype is that Pep Guardiola is only a rookie manager so it’ll be interesting to see what his tactical and strategical plan will be.

Chelsea will be missing Ashley Cole due to suspension which is not a loss defensively at all since he doesn’t do any defending, but going forward is where he will be missed. Ricardo Carvalho is injured and that will be a loss but the good news in skipper John Terry returns from suspension. The other question will be which Petr Cech will show up since he’s had consistency problems this season. Chelsea’s midfield and strike force is as good as anyone’s with Lampard, Ballack, Kalou, Anelka and Drogba all a scoring threat. Look for Ballack to be sitting back a little to slow down Barcelona’s midfield and stop through balls being played to their strikers.

Barcelona will always be Barcelona and Guardiola will let his side play at free will and with an attack like that, why not? The fullbacks will be pushing forward in the first leg, however, the key for the Catalans is how will they combat the deep runs of Lampard and Ballack? Xavi is very capable of doing that, but he will need help and the back four will be tied up with trying to keep Anelka and Drogba quiet.

This first leg will be an open, lively encounter. Barcelona will win and take a one goal lead heading to west London for the second leg. That will please Chelsea and give them a quiet confidence going into that match.

Manchester United (ENG) vs Arsenal (ENG) at Old Trafford Wedneday

A trip back to the late 90’s and early 2000’s sees Ferguson vs Wenger in its prime. These two clubs in that time span before Roman Abramovich showed up in the summer of 2003 always took up the top two spots in English football. The mind games were just as intense with Sir Alex Ferguson going as far as saying Arsene Wenger had a mental problem with Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Then there was the egos of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira going head to head and the battle of Old Trafford.

Times have changed a little with Chelsea becoming the richest club in the world before the summer of 2008 and Liverpool having success in Europe. This tie will bring two new sides locking horns in the latest chapter of United and the Gunners.

With Arsenal missing Almunia in goal is a big loss as they have been shipping in goals since he went on the injury list while the back four have had a loss of form in recent weeks which is no different compared to the other “big four.” The key for this one will be the midfield battle and Arsenal will be without Andriy Arshavin due to being cup-tied. The leadership will be on the shoulders of the gunners captain Cesc Fabregas who keeps the Arsenal machine ticking. Theo Walcott will be a key figure also to try and open up United in the back to create space for Emmanuel Adebayor up front who will shoulder the responsibility up top with Robin Van Persie out injured again.

For United, their defense has gotten rid of the invincible tag after giving up four at home to arch rival Liverpool. That still doesn’t mean that the partnership of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic lost its solidarity because it’s still one of the best around anywhere with Edwin Van der Sar behind them. Expect Park Ji-Sung to do a job on Walcott and probably either Abou Diaby or Gael Clichy to do the same on Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney since Wazza’s been playing on the left of midfield recently.

I fully expect United to win the first leg at home because simply they have just too much fire power for Arsenal. The second leg at the Emirates could be different, but in order for Arsenal to get a result they will have to score early which teams have shown in the last few weeks it can be done. Before Liverpool knocked United for four, the best that teams would have hoped for was for United to have an off day and the opposition to play out of their skin. Wenger knows now that this is the time to catch United with the games coming in thick and fast this time of the season.

Editor’s Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVH every week. Today he is stepping out of the MLS box and is previewing the UEFA Champsions League. Feel free to post your comments to Geoff below.

With the last eight teams in Europe locking horns this week I thought it would be appropriate to throw my predictions out there. Before I do, I will mention firstly I am as big of a Liverpool fan as you can get so if I at all sound bias I apologize. I like to think I am one of the most moderate football/soccer fans around so I’ll try my best to give my opinion right down the middle. As always if you agree or disagree with my thoughts please feel free to leave comments.

Villarreal CF (ESP) vs Arsenal FC (ENG): First Leg at Estadio El Madrigal on the 7th, Second Leg at The Emirates Stadium on the 15th

This is a tough one to call because both sides are in about the same position in there respective leagues. The interesting stories going into this tie is how big of a role will gunners old guy Robert Pires play, Villarreal’s mission to revenge their semi final loss to Arsenal in 2006 and both clubs are out of their domestic title races so while securing qualification for next seasons competition is a must financially as well as for bragging rights, this represents their best chance of silverware.

Most of the Arsenal team that started the final in 2006 against FC Barcelona have moved on, but a good chunk of the yellow submarine’s side is still there so you can count on players such as Marcos Senna will be fired up more then most. A massive decider in Europe whether it’s the Champions League, UEFA Cup or the old Cup Winners Cup is where the second leg will be held.

I don’t think that the Emirates Stadium is as intimidating as Highbury used to be but my head is with Arsenal on this one, however I will not be surprised if Villarreal pull this one off. It’s really a toss of the coin for this tie. The gunners have Adebayor healthy again and in form which will decide this tie.

Manchester United FC (ENG) vs FC Porto (POR): First Leg at Old Trafford on the 7th, Second Leg at the Estadio do Drago on the 15th

While the other three ties are harder to judge who will go through to the semi-finals, this one is not necessarily easier to predict the score, but the outcome is one most will agree on. Unless you’re the most die hard and optimistic Porto fan, I think the neutrals will all favor United.

Players such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes can come out and join their manager in saying 2004 is not on the minds of the players for various reasons, but you have to think that in some way, the players that were at United when Jose Mourinho’s Porto knocked United out at Old Trafford in the last minute will want to put the ghosts that haunt them away for good of that famous night. Player for player this time around, United are far more superior and defending Champions at that. The second leg may have a bit of good luck on Porto’s side since they will host it. When these teams met in 2004, a big part of Porto’s lineup was a good chunk of the Portuguese national team. Make no mistake about it, United will win this tie, but I do think it will be a lot closer then people may think just because the second leg will be at the Estadio do Drago.

FC Barcelona (ESP) vs FC Bayern Munich (GER): First Leg at Camp Nou on the 8th, Second Leg at the Allianz Arena on the 14th

Just like the Villarreal vs Arsenal tie, this one is tight to call. A lot of folks will think the Catalans have this wrapped up, especially after seeing Bayern get thrashed 5-1 this past weekend against Wolfsburg. However, I think these ties will bring the best out of the Bavarians and to be honest, as a professional, you don’t need any extra motivation to play in the Champions League at this stage with a chance of winning the tournament.

I feel Bayern’s defense it their biggest let down. Michael Rensing, a very fine goalkeeper, doesn’t have the same presence as Oliver Kahn did and that is massive shoes to fill. Lucio has too much work to do to compensate for the mistakes of Demichelis and van Buyten on an ordinary day let alone the prospect of facing Messi, Henry, Eto, Xavi Hernandez, Iniesta, and Danny Alves coming at you. I think we’ll see a high scoring affair in this one. I look forward seeing Frank Ribery, Luca Toni and Miroslave Klose going against the Barcelona back four and the weak link is undoubtedly Rafa Marquez so be sure Jurgen Klinsmann will look to exploit that. Also, Ribery does not get enough praise and he is just as good as Messi, Kaka and Ronaldo. In a high scoring affair and the most entertaining tie of the round, the Catalans will prevail.

Editor’s Note: WVH is a Bayern fan, but he’s with Geoff on this one…Bayern has looked very weak defensively lately and you just can’t go into a match with a poor defense when a club has a Henry, Messi and other waiting. But to be more honest WVH cares a little more about the next pairing as he’s a bigger Blues fan than Bayern.

Liverpool FC (ENG) vs Chelsea FC (ENG): First Leg at Anfield on the 8th, Second Leg at Stamford Bridge on the 14th

Yawn. For the fifth time in five years these two sides meet and it will be the way it always is: tight, narrow affairs and don’t be surprised if it goes to penalties or the tie being decided on away goals. Unless you’re a red or a blue, this tie won’t be very entertaining. The interesting fact regarding these two clubs is the one who’s hosted the second leg has moved onto the next round in the knock out rounds (the second year they were both drawn in the same group).

I think with the second leg being in west London, that should give Chelsea the advantage. However, Liverpool have beaten Chelsea twice already this season, once at the Bridge. That was before Guus Hiddink became caretaker manager and he is one of the best and so is Rafael Benitez. While I think Phil Scolari was a top manager, Hiddink has given a new lease of life to Chelsea and because the second leg at home for the Blues, I think that will be the ultimate difference. If it would have been at Anfield I’d be picking Liverpool.

So my semi-final picks are: Arsenal vs Manchester United and Barcelona vs Chelsea. They’ll probably be completely wrong because predictions never pan out and that’s the beauty of this sport. It’s why this is the best sport in the world. And stepping back on this side of the pond, it’s also important that we all get behind the Puerto Rico Islanders this week in their quest to gun down Cruz Azul. How amazing would it be that the Islanders from USL-1 would face off against the European Champions in January?

Joan LaPorta, president of FC Barcelona, visited Philadelphia on Feb. 28 and toured the site of the franchise’s future stadium being constructed in Chester, Pa. The tour took place days before FC Barcelona announced it wouldn’t pursue an expansion franchise in Miami.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber declined to comment on the visit but said, “FC Barcelona has expressed for some time an interest in Major League Soccer financially and strategically. They spent a great deal of time with us looking at Miami and are continuing to look at opportunities around the league.”

MLS Philadelphia CEO Nick Sakiewicz said he didn’t discuss investing in the franchise with LaPorta but acknowledged that the Philadelphia franchise is still looking for strategic partners.

There has been loads of talk surrounding the financial health of this expansion club. Adding a backing like Barcelona as we all know would be a huge step for this club. Plus for Barcelona you could see Philly being just as important to them as Miami was going to be.

Barcelona’s involvement could help ease the blow of some financial loss that the Philly owners are having right now. Plus having them as even a sister club would be huge.

More details will come of this soon. Either way we will see Barcelona help someone out here.

Claure states that “today I would say that this [Miami franchise] will not happen”. “I think, and this is being optimistic, we have 50% chances to get the franchise”, he added.

Claure also stated economic reasons and even put some blame on the whole David Beckham soap opera.

Either way this doesn’t sound too good for the Miami bid going into the final stretch of days before the league announces the two expansion sites.

You can read more of this article here (in Spanish). I hope to have more on this later.

Any notion that an announcement would be made by the league regarding Miami today was indeed premature.

But if some news does come down about Claure’s meeting with Barca and if he was able to keep them on board in the bid we may get that later on today. Its just a wait and see game right now for this bid.

But on Friday, FC Barcelona director Jean Oliver said at a news conference that the club’s quest to have an MLS team is “very delicate, and we are evaluating if the situation allows for the model planned to be implemented in Miami or not.”

He said the team is reviewing the deal, negotiating, and that he would rather commit when “there was not financial risk to the club.”

Oliver added: “The economic situation in the United States is very complicated. What are we doing? Evaluating with great care to see if the change in the economic situation means the project is not viable right now. We said we’d have a team in MLS if there was no financial risk to the club. But the situation with the American economy right now forces us to be more prudent to make sure this risk doesn’t exist. The risk now is greater than it was when we made the announcement.”

With a couple weeks left before the announcement of the two expansion spots this is a big break for some expansion bids and terrible news for Miami supporters.

I’ve read over a few things and it looks like both Barca and Marcelo Claure are just evaluating the current landscape of things. Claure has always been seen as the one that would be putting the cash behind the majority of this club and Barca would throw in whatever else was needed. At least that’s how it has always been present to me, I could be wrong on that.

Still for the biggest chip on the table to possibly leave this bid before the expansion bids are announced by the league is a huge thing. I’ve said for a while that since the league hasn’t granted Miami anything by now that something is going on with it that maybe the league didn’t care for. And this could be part of it.

I still believe Miami is in even with this news but I am slowly starting to think that we could see two more Canadian clubs in the league before it is all said and done here. Just a weird hunch.