Every week, football fans pass each other in the office hallways, gather on the factory floor and around the water coolers at gym. We discuss the games to come, the potential outcomes and how those results will determine the fates and fortunes of our favourite clubs and players. That’s what makes the UEFA Champions League Final the immensely magnetic event that it is.

There are NO more league games left. No more bouts of football that offer log position changing results or reputation creating moments for the hungriest of players. All but one is done. One final battle that all fans will be focused on, and if the club you support isn’t involved in this massive spectacle, then you’re inevitably picking a side.

Saturday, 28th May 2011. Not only is it the biggest annual club match in the world, but this years final also sported two of the biggest clubs in the world. Both sides last featured in a Champions League Final in 2009, when Barcelona claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Manchester United at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

In the red corner: Manchester United have sported a less convincing side this past season than what we’ve become accustomed to seeing, yet Fergie‘s men showed a top-shelf level of discipline and consistency that overshadowed teams that seemed bigger challengers on paper. This proved to be key in their haul of a record 19th Premier League title and their climb to the Champions League final.

In the blue corner: FC Barcelona have had a tremendous 2010-2011 La Liga campaign, not only winning the Spanish league for the 3rd consecutive season, but beating Jose Mourinho’s superstar-studded Real Madrid side in what was a two horse race for the title.

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Manchester United will face Barcelona in the finals of the Champions League competition at Wembley after they ravaged Schalke 4 – 1 (aggregate 6 – 1) last night in the second leg semi-final at Old Trafford.

First-half goals from Antonio Valencia and Darron Gibson ensured there was no way back for Schalke, who were already two goals down from the first leg, and a late double from Anderson completed a handsome victory.

For Gibson in particular it represented a fitting riposte to the critics who forced him off Twitter last week after spending barely two hours exposed to a demanding public.

And Ferguson got exactly what he wanted too, namely the chance of revenge over Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, who was watching from the stands, for that one-sided encounter in Rome.

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Former Real Madrid club president Ramon Calderon said Jose Mourinho‘s comments and behavior damaged Real Madrid during the two legs of the semi-finals.

Real Madrid were dumped out of the Champions League by their bitter rivals Barcelona last night after an aggregate score of 3 – 1, but both games were overshadowed by the behaviour of fans, players and club officials.

Boss Mourinho was sent off in the first leg for disputing a red card and is also in trouble for later comments.

“To talk like that has been harmful for Real Madrid,” Calderon told BBC Sport.

A bad-tempered first-leg match erupted at half-time when there was a fracas on the touchline as the players were leaving the field, which resulted in Real reserve-keeper Pinto being shown a red card.

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There are games you watch with excitement for the sake of the league position your favourite team is fighting for. There are games you watch with a heavy basket of planned banter when you and your mates see your favourite clubs go head to head. Then there are games that, due to their sheer magnitude, hype and near guarantee of fireworks almost force your attention, whether you watch them as a bleeding, die-hard supporter or just simply as a pure football fan. 27th April 2011. The Bernabéu. UEFA Champions League Semi-Final first leg. El Clásico. No exception.

Last night saw the 3rd installment to the four part mini-series that began on the 16th April this year and it more than held up it’s promise of entertainment.

The first crowd lifting chance came from the Catalans in the 10th minute when a regaining of possession in the visitors half saw some pace changing pass and run play by Lionel Messi and Xavi to David Villa on the far right of who proceeded with a strong run along the big box to end with an immensely close, but off target shot just past the far post. (more…)

Manchester United were just too good for Schalke in Germany as they scored two crucial away goals to pave their way to Wembley.

United could have been well ahead in the semi-final first leg by half-time, denied only by a series of incredible saves from Germany keeper Manuel Neuer.

They broke the deadlock when Wayne Rooney slipped in Ryan Giggs to slot home and Rooney doubled the advantage by firing in a Javier Hernandez pass.

Edwin van der Sar saved from Sergio Escudero, but Schalke were awful.

United will welcome Schalke to Old Trafford on Wednesday 4 May for the second leg and they now know, barring a complete catastrophe, that they will once again represent English football in the showpiece of the European game.

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Tottenham Hotspur’s dreams of their first Champions League semi-final were dashed last night as they were defeated 5 – 0 on aggregate and 1 – 0 on the night by Real Madrid.

Spurs were unable to produce the miracle required to overcome Real as they exited the competition with a quarter-final second leg defeat thanks to Heurelho Gomes’ second-half clanger.

Gomes has been a pillar of the club’s domestic and European campaigns this year, but his failure to hang on to Cristiano Ronaldo‘s routine 30-yard drive ensured that any chance Spurs had of coming back from the four-goal deficit they accrued in the Bernabeu were over in the 50th minute.

Spurs threw everything they had at their highly-decorated opponents in the first half and had two convincing penalty appeals turned down.

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Manchester United robbed Chelsea of their only chance left for silverware last night at Old Trafford. Chelsea and Shakhtar Donetsk just weren’t good enough on the night as United and Barcelona progressed respectively to the semi-finals of the Champions League without much trouble.

United earned their place in the last four for the fourth time in five seasons with a 2-1 success over Chelsea – who ended the match with 10-men after Ramires was sent-off in the second-half – and a 3-1 triumph on aggregate which will heap the pressure on the losers’ manager Carlo Ancelotti.

United – whose goals came from Javier Hernandez and Korean Park Ji-Sung – will play either Schalke 04 or holders Inter Milan, with the Italian side requiring a miracle in Germany on Wednesday as they trail 5-2.

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