European Cup final Preview

A saying in Italy translates roughly as "All of Italy against Juventus".

The Turin club are seen as too rich and powerful to be supported in anything they do by the fans of other teams.

The contenders for the 1998/99 European Cup are in a similar position.

Both Manchester United and Bayern Munich are on the verge of an historic European and domestic treble and its achievement for either side would confirm the domination each club has developed against its domestic challengers. United completed their third double of the past six seasons with an all too easy win against Newcastle United in the FA Cup final last Saturday and while the league title win was narrower in the Premiership - a single point margin - they are considered to be a long way ahead of the other English sides who try to stop them winning everything.

Their ascendence will be completed with a win in the Camp Nou tomorrow night in their first appearance in the final since a famous win over Benfica in 1968 made them the first English team to win the world's ultimate club football prize. Six years later they were relegated from the top division but that is impossible now. A European Cup win if it is achieved - the first one since 1984 for an English side - will see their power and riches increase to such an extent that the game will become distorted beyond all recognition in England with an elite three or four clubs winning the three domestic trophies and United dominating that select group. The United side is also a young one and has at least six more years at the peak of the game if they are kept together as a unit.

The 1968 winning side has joined the squad in a party that arrived in Barcelona on Sunday night. The previous winners cast an eternal shadow over the United club after the events of 1958 when eight of the finest post war side died in the Munich air disaster. Then manager Sir Matt Busby barely survived his injuries to rebuild the club and honour the dead with the 1968 victory at Wembley. Tomorrow night would have been his birthday had he not died in 1994 but to surround the modern side with so many old ghosts may be a mistake that Bayern can take full advantage of.

United are the top scorers in the competition and in a free and open game have the speed and power moves to take them past the German side. Captain Roy Keene is suspended as is the excellent finisher Paul Scholes. Norwegian Ronny Johnsen could be pushed into a midfield which will see Nicky Butt take over the ball winning role of Keene. Bayern have been working on plans to man mark Ryan Giggs and David Beckham and their supply of crosses is critical to any United success. The heading ability of Stam also represents a big threat from corners and free kicks when the masterful Beckham is slashing the ball in hard and low with his right foot.

The Bayern attack has been depleted by the loss of Elber with a knee injury and Bixente Lizarazu was finally ruled out of the game last Friday. These are two massive losses for the German side coached by Ottmar Hitzfeld who guided Borussia Dortmund to their 1997 triumph over a strongly fancied Juventus. Carsten Jancker and Alexander Zickler make an odd pairing in attack. Zickler is an uncertain finisher and converted from a midfielder while Jancker is clumsy and awkward but also poewerful and unpredictable in his shooting.

The speed of Giggs, Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole stands a chance of completely exposing the 38 year old sweeper Lothar Matthaus for speed. The veteran's positional sense will be given a thorough workout. Mario Basler is being considered to offer some creativity in midfield and he is likely to make the starting eleven but he is inconsistent at the best of times although his sense of adventure may wrong foot the United defence which Bayern believe has inherent weaknesses.

Neither of these sides qualified for the league stage of this competition by winning their domestic championship. Both were runners up but have made terrific progress over the past twelve months to make this a true contest of the champions.

Bayern's immediate future will be heavily influenced by this result. They are looking for ways to convert their club - with its 80,000 membership - into a company along the lines of the United plc which has pumped massive profits into the playing side of their operation. Bayern envy the spending power of their rivals in Europe and are trying to establish a dynasty to emulate the three successive European Cup wins from 1974 to 76 that allowed this club the opportunity to dominate the German game. A win tomorrow night will make it easier for those who run the club to argue that they have to find extra revenue to fund their ambitions and a share flotation would be ideal. The plans are ready to go whatever the result of the confrontation with United tomorrow which sees a very confident Bayern believing they can with a fourth European Cup.

The sides drew twice in their meetings at the league stage of this competition last autumn but the chrysalis of United's European dream has now given birth to the full force of their desire to win in the Camp Nou. The English side have been living a dream for the past two weeks with everything going their way and their fans will see another dream come true tomorrow night with a win in Spain.