Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has hailed Manchester United as an “extraordinary” team ahead of the Champions League final.
Guardiola’s side are on the verge of sewing up the La Liga title, echoing the triumph of Sir Alex Ferguson’s team, who clinched the premier League with their 2-1 win over Chelsea on the weekend.
Should Barca wrap up the title at Levante on Wednesday night, they will have more than two weeks to prepare for the Champions League final at Wembley on 28 May.
But Guardiola, who featured as a player in Barça’s first European Cup success at the old Wembley stadium in 1992, admits he is wary of United’s quality and strength in depth.
“They played a Champions League semi-final [second leg against Schalke] with a team full of reserves and they won 4-1 – that says everything you need to know about the quality they have,” the Barça coach said.
“They have a great squad with two great teams and extraordinary players. We will try to wrap up the league and then we’ll think about the final.”
Barcelona start Xavi echoed the sentiments of his coach. “We’re almost there and we want to win it [the title] as soon as possible, so we can have our heads focused on Wembley,” he said.
