What better way to finish off Europe’s biggest club competition than a showdown between two of the most famous names in soccer, Manchester United and Barcelona?

A little like a long-awaited heavyweight title fight between the defending champion and the popular No. 1 contender, Man United and Barca face each other at Rome’s Olympic stadium on Wednesday.

Between them they have five Champions League titles, including Man U’s championship last year. Even if that only equals the five won by Liverpool and is two behind AC Milan and four behind Real Madrid, these clubs are among the most powerful and popular in the sport.

Now that they meet in the Champions League final for the first time, they hope to put on a classic at a heavily secured Olympic Stadium.

“When we get a game that paints the real story of football, then we are all lifted. Barcelona and Manchester United can do that,” said United manager Alex Ferguson, who is chasing his 26th trophy in 23 seasons with the Red Devils.

“The players we both have suggests it will be a great final. I hope it lives up to it.”

A glance at the potential lineups suggests each has a formidable offense, while United has the better defense because Barca has been hit by suspensions.

Ferguson can choose from Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez in attack. If Thierry Henry overcomes a knee injury, he will team up with Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o in a Barcelona lineup that scored more than 100 league goals this season.

Winner of its third Premier League title in a row and 11th in 17 seasons, United goes to Rome chasing its fourth triumph in European soccer’s most prestigious club competition.

Ferguson repeatedly has said United should have won the title more times, including during his 23-year spell at the club. A fourth title would put the team owned by American Malcolm Glazer and his sons, they also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, alongside Bayern Munich and Ajax.

“There’s the opportunity for us to put ourselves among the pantheon of teams who have won the competition four times and that would be fantastic for us,” Ferguson said.

Barcelona, which is after its third European cup title, was one of Madrid’s biggest rivals decades ago, winning back-to-back Spanish titles in 1959 and ’60. A losing finalist to Benfica in 1961, it stayed in Madrid’s shadow in the European Cup.

Throughout the years, both clubs have been synonymous with positive play, performing before huge crowds and attracting big stars. United plays to sellout crowds at its 76,000-seat Old Trafford, and Barcelona gets up to 98,700 at Camp Nou.

While United’s defenders will have to deal with the dribbling skills of Barca’s Messi, the Argentine star fears what Ronaldo could do to his team.

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“They’re a great team, Manchester. If you go through the whole squad, you’d be hard pushed to know which player to choose if you had to pick just one. But clearly you have to start with Cristiano, a great forward who can ’gambetea’ with speed and ease,” Messi said, using a colloquial South American term for dribbling with feints and swerves.

“And he has a great medium-range shot. We’re conscious that in Rome we can’t give him time to think or get a shot in from distance. He’s a great footballer.”

Ferguson, who arrived at Old Trafford in October 1986 after being hugely successful in his native Scotland with Aberdeen, has led Man United to 25 titles since 1990.

At about the time that run started, a young midfielder was starting out at Barcelona.

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Pep Guardiola began his career at Camp Nou that year and went on to become one of the most respected midfielders in European soccer, helping Barca win its first European Cup in 1992, before it became known as the Champions League.

After a spell as reserve team coach, Guardiola took over after the club from fired Frank Rijkaard and, in his first season in charge, has already taken the team to the Spanish league title.

While Ronaldo vs. Messi and Rooney vs. Henry might be two of the biggest matchups on the field, Ferguson vs. Guardiola — their first head-to-head as coaches — will be just as significant.

One of them will take a step up the ladder of European champions, while the other will have to wait another year.

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