The 2011 UEFA Champions League Final - or the European Cup Final to anyone with an interest in the game pre-1992 - kicks off at 4.45am this Sunday at Wembley stadium. 

The most prestigious fixture in club football will be fought at the game's most iconic venue between the two most popular sides in the world. 

It is the perfect final. 

Champions of England versus the champions of Spain; the leading sides in the two most dominant leagues in Europe. Barcelona has scored the most goals in this year's tournament; Manchester United has conceded the least. United are unbeaten and Barca has lost just once, away to Arsenal, en route to the showpiece game. 

Both sides won their first European Cups at the venue, United in 1968, Barcelona in 1992. Both sides have beaten each other in European finals, United in the 1991 European Cup Winners Cup, Barca in the 2009 Champions League final. That fixture was the most recent meeting between the two and Pep Guardiola's side's dominance of that occasion makes them clear favourites to take home the massive jug-eared trophy. 

Whoever wins will claim its fourth title, moving them fourth on the all-time list of cup wins, level with Ajax and Bayern Munich, but still behind Liverpool, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Both protagonists have clawed back domestic trophy deficits in recent seasons but a combined haul of just six European Cups between them indicates underachievement for clubs of their stature. Both coaches, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, are students of their clubs' histories and are eager to make amends. 

Where the game will be won and lost: 

It is easy for tactical analysis to get sidetracked by focussing solely on Barcelona, but when a side regularly accumulates 60 - 70 per cent of possession, it becomes hard to avoid. With that in mind, if Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, Barca's pair of midfield metronomes, are allowed time and space to dictate the tempo of the game, United will struggle to remain in the contest. In the 2009 final, United started brightly and outran the Catalans in the opening ten minutes. Thereafter, it was a clinic in ball retention and movement from the partnership that has steered club and country to every major honour in the game. 

Much of the pre-match build up will focus on Lionel Messi, and rightly so as he will be the single greatest talent on show, but make no mistake, Barca's heartbeat lies in its diminutive midfield and United has to cut off their circulation if it is to stand any chance. 

Selection issues: 

Both sides are at close to full-strength for the final. Barca will operate its usual 4-3-3 with Guardiola facing just a couple of selection headaches. He must decide between Maxwell and Eric Abidal for the starting spot on the left side of defence and whether to find space for Javier Mascherano, either as the midfield anchor or in the centre of defence. 

Ferguson's choices are more interesting. He appears likely to operate a fluid 4-4-2, with Wayne Rooney operating as an extra midfielder behind Javier Hernandez when United do not have possession. Four of the back five select themselves but either of the da Silva twins could start at right-back. It is United's midfield, however, that will provide the greatest indication of how the game will be played. Park Ji-Sung and Michael Carrick look to be guaranteed roles and I expect Antonio Valencia to get the nod ahead of Nani on the right. Ferguson then has to choose between Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, or Nani, for the remaining place. Giggs should be favourite but with his off-field issues interrupting his preparation, will Ferguson consider the experienced playmaker to be in the right frame of mind for such a major game? 

Assuming Giggs starts, the players with the greatest responsibility for United will become Park and Rooney. They will be tasked with shutting down Xavi and Iniesta at the base of Barcelona's midfield. Valencia and Giggs will also be required to both track back with their opposing fullbacks, and provide enough threat to keep the Barcelona defence on its toes. 

The X Factor: 

Any side containing Lionel Messi, indisputably the most talented footballer currently going around (settle down CR7 fans), will have an element of unpredictability that opposing defences are unable to legislate for. United successfully marked him out of the 2008 Champions League semi final but he popped up to score with his head in the 2009 final. His goal in this year's semi final against Real Madrid proved that the little maestro has what it takes to beat even the most packed defence, coached by the master of the dark arts. 

For United, the X Factor probably resides on the bench. With the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Nani, and even arch-poacher Michael Owen likely to add firepower if required, United should remain a threat to the end. Expect Darren Fletcher to have some impact on the game too. Either to shut the game down if United are leading, or to inject some urgency if United need to chase the game. 

The result: 

My head says Barcelona's composure and overall class will earn them the trophy. My heart says United's never-say-die attitude and Ferguson's resolve will see them home. After the 2009 final, Ferguson was reportedly not as disheartened as might have been imagined because he claimed to have seen in that game what his side would have to do to beat the same opposition again. What better time to prove this theory correct? 

BPL Predictions: 

Result: Barcelona 1 - 1 Manchester United (United to win on penalties) 

First Goalscorer: Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd)

Man of the match: Edwin van der Sar (Man Utd)

(Jonathan Howcroft and Charles Happell discuss the Champions League final on the BPL Vidcast here.)