Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand declares he is completely fit for the showdown in Rome as Barcelona wait to see on the status of both Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta.
The Barca due both trained on Tuesday but it is still unknown as to whether or not they will both start in what many believe to be the most hotly anticipated European final in years.
Pep Guardiola, manager of the Spaniards, is still uncertain of the final fate of both players.
“We will see what their condition is. If they are well, they will play.” stated Guardiola.
The issues of Henry and Iniesta aside, Barcelona continue to have problems finding adequate defensive cover, especially in full-back positions with the absence of both Dani Alves and Eric Abidal. There is a strong likelihood that midfielder Yaya Toure will be forced to feature in some form along the Spanish defensive line. Former United player Gerard Pique is also expected to start against his former club.
Guardiola’s counterpart, Sir Alex Ferguson, however is having an easier time in the build up to the final in respect to the availability of his squad.
With Ferdinand declared fit it is expected that he will line up alongside Serbian Nemanja Vidic, whose partnership was the most successful defensive setup alongside Chelsea in the Barclays English Premier League.
The only true downside to Ferguson’s squad is the absence of Scot Darren Fletcher, who following his dubious dismissal in the second leg of the semi final at Arsenal, is suspended.
Final team sheets have been released and are as follows -
Barcelona: Valdes, Puyol, Toure, Pique, Sylvinho, Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, Eto’o, Henry. Subs: Pinto, Caceres, Gudjohnsen, Krkic, Keita, Rodriguez, Muniesa.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O’Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Carrick, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Ronaldo, Rooney. Subs: Kuszczak, Berbatov, Nani, Scholes, Rafael, Evans, Tevez.
Gregg Hobbs, FootballNewsBlog.co.uk
