Guardiola to unleash 'attacking' Barça

FC Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola said he was "honoured" to be going head to head with "the institution that is Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson" in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final.

Opposition strengths
Characterised in the Spanish media as an obsessive coach who rarely sleeps due to his attention to detail, 'Pep' will no doubt be awake into the small hours as he prepares his side to face, in his words, "the best team in the world". "United have won many finals and have dominated every facet of the game," the 38-year-old said. "When they go forward they do so giving everything and when it's time to defend they don't concede many goals," he added. "They have great aerial players with [Nemanja] Vidić, [Rio] Ferdinand and Cristiano Ronaldo. There is also strength in every position with five really strong attack-minded players."

Possible triumph
Having already led his charges to an impressive Liga and Copa del Rey double in his debut campaign in charge of the first team, Guardiola will make history should the Blaugrana triumph in Rome on Wednesday. A Spanish side has never won all three trophies in the same season and the former Barça and AS Roma midfielder is adamant his players will be going for glory in the only way they know how: by pushing forward. "We want to win this trophy and we'll be coming out as we always do, brave and attacking; they know that," he continued. "If we don't go out there to win then we shouldn't be there. We'll look to dominate possession before attacking – then we'll see what happens."

Important factor
Having lifted the trophy as a Barcelona player in 1992, Guardiola would become the sixth man to repeat the feat as a coach should the Spanish champions get the better of their English counterparts in the Italian capital. He said last weekend that the team would have been successful this season with or without him at the helm, a suggestion Lionel Messi refuted. "Guardiola has an awful lot to do with the course this team has taken," the 21-year-old insisted. "The work he has put in, his knowledge of the game and the way in which he has motivated us have been fundamental factors in the success we've had." On a personal level, Messi described the final showdown as "the most important game of my life", before expressing his desire for an "open final that will please the fans".