FCBARCELONA.CAT

29.04.2008 10:36

Manchester Utd v Barça: Did you know that…

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The return leg of the Champions League semi-final between the English and the Catalans is surrounded by facts and figures.

- After the 0-0 draw at Camp Nou, European Cup matches between Manchester United and Barça stand at one victory for Barcelona and four draws.

- Nine Barça players have already played at Old Trafford: they are Henry, Gudjohnsen, Xavi, Sylvinho, Deco, Iniesta, Puyol, Zambrotta and Thuram.

- Xavi made his European debut in the Theatre of Dreams in the 1998/99 season when Barça drew three all in the group stage.

- In Henry ’s case, he first played in Manchester with Monaco in 1998 and helped to knock out the Red Devils after a 0-0 draw in the Principality.

- In fact drawing 0-0 away is not a good omen for Manchester United, as they have been knocked out of Europe on the previous three occasions it has happened.

- Veteran Paul Scholes played his first international game for United in the 2-2 draw with Barça in 1994.

- The Red Devils are on a run of eleven straight victories at home in the Champions League and have not lost there for three seasons.

- Barça’s recent record in the Champions League is not bad either: 2 defeats in 32 games.

- Manchester United and FC Barcelona are the only undefeated teams left in the competition, with 8 wins and 3 draws each. Both of them have scored 18 goals and let in 5.

- Cristiano Ronaldo, with seven strikes, and Leo Messi, with six, remain at the top of the goalscorers table along with Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard who has also found the net six times.

- Rafa Márquez is the only player to miss the tie through suspension. Barça has three players who are one yellow card away from missing the next match – Milito, Touré Yaya and Messi – while Evra and Nani are in the same boat on the United side.

- The English are hoping to reach their third European Cup final while it would be the fifth for the Catalans.

- The semi-finals have not really been very good to United: they’ve only got through twice out the nine they have contested. Barça, by contrast, has won 4 out of 8 (as in 1992 they reached Wembley after a league).

- The match referee, Herbert Fandel, was in charge of last year’s final between Milan and Liverpool and of the one before last UEFA Cup final between Seville and Middlesbrough.