Eurosport - Mon, 11 May 13:44:00 2009
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta expects to be fit for the Champions League final against Manchester United on May 27.
The Spain international picked up a thigh muscle injury in the 3-3 Liga draw at home to Villarreal on Sunday.
Initially Iniesta was ruled out of the showpiece match in Rome but having undergone further tests on the injury on Monday, he now believes he will be fit to play.
"I will be in Rome," Iniesta said as he left the hospital. "It is a small tear that wasn't as bad as we thought. The enthusiasm I have to play in the final will help my recovery."
Iniesta, who scored the goal that took Barca past Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final last week, has been ruled out of Wednesday's Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.
ReutersThere are currently no live events taking place.
| Match |
|---|
|
Blackburn Rovers
3 - 3 (4-3) Chelsea |
| Manchester City 3 - 0 Arsenal |
| Match |
|---|
| Chesterfield 2 - 3 Crewe Alexandra |
| Match |
|---|
| Xerez CD 0 - 2 FC Barcelona |
| Match |
|---|
| Boulogne-sur-Mer 2 - 5 Paris Saint-Germain |
| Match |
|---|
| Real Betis 4 - 0 Villarreal B |
| Match |
|---|
| Catania 2 - 0 Empoli |
No upcoming events to take place in the next 24 hours.
Sign up to our free daily newsletter to recieve the latest news straight to your inbox. Make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Sign up now
This site is Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
Notice: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy.


Comment 30 - 49 of 49
What's the matter webmaster - have you dropped off to sleep - there's been no comments on this site for some time - wakey, wakey, please and do something.
people are always saying man u is gona win They take barca for granted but remember this a team who scored 129 goals this season. I know man u went on a 12 game without leting a goal i respect that but u also have to respect that barca score more goals then any team, I am fan of man u and barca but i like barca more do to the way thier playing this season. I Know man u is gona play like chelsea did .They are gona try to score early and then have like the whole team defense just like last year,. So its the best attack team vs the best defence team . BUt barca should win cause of how hard they have played..In the other hand man u is talking about ronaldo leaaving. But ronaldo is good player but he whines to much and gets mad wen he doesnt have stuff his way . I hope GOD help barca. GOOd luck man u can win the game so its 50%50%.
Fancy a NEW Games console like a PS3, Wii, or a DS Lite etc. for only £5 or even FREE? Then just copy and paste
urfreegifts. co . uk into your browser (removing any spaces) and sign up.
Complete just ONE of the listed offers to qualify, there are many to choose from, some are free and some are as little as £5. My favourites are the FREE Lovefilm DVD rental trial or the FREE HSBC offer, The Coral and Gala bingo offers are only £5 and you can win that back and more.
I have used this site to get a PS3, Iphone and a Nintendo Wii so far. Just sign up, do an offer and get a few friends to do the same, its as easy as that so sign up today.
Iniesta, dont bother playing in the final.. there are no medals of barca fools
BEL pa zed
Iniesta, dont bother playing in the final.. there are no medals of barca fools
BEL pa zed
Iniesta, dont bother playing in the final.. there are no medals of barca fools
BEL pa zed
Iniesta, dont bother playing in the final.. there are no medals of barca fools
BEL pa zed
41. I'm not saying Arsenal are as good as Barca, but what I am saying is don't expect to see United sit back and hit them on the brake. Barca have got 4 maybe 5 first team players out for the final and they don't have the depth United have got. Also United will keep possesion far better than Cheski.
The Manc,
I think Henry's absence is good for United. He would be useful on the break. Barcelona are a much better team than Arsenal even without several regulars. Surely though the defensive problems will be tough. I remember when we lost to Milan in 2007. People forget that United missed 3 first choice defenders in BOTH legs including both Ferdinand and Vidic at Old Trafford. Most, if not all. of the goals could be attributed to defensive mistakes that probably would not have happened had United been at something like full strength in defence. Instead ,the goals were attributed to Kaka who on the strength of a couple of good performances against United's 2nd string defence won European player of the year over Ronaldo who had been much the better player all season.
Defense is the most important thing. The important point for United now is to have the title done and dusted before Hull. 3 days before the final the last thing Fergie will want is to risk any first team regulars in a game where Hull will be playing dirty and trying to injure United players in the hope of getting a result. United need to get the 4 points sorted and then play their 3rd string against Hull.
What a load of tripe James D. It does not matter if Iniesta plays or not, United will go out there and play like they did against Arsenal. They have nothing to fear from Barca, they are favourites to win the final for one good reason United have full squad and Barca don't, United have come into really good form for the first time this season taking control of games and winning games with a bit of purpose. I'm not saying Barca are not a good side but they will be fielding an unfamiliar side in a final and they don't have the depth in the squad like United, and that is bad news for them. From a neutral point of view United are to strong and should win if no key players get injured.
If Iniesta plays, United win. If he doesn't play, Barca win.
This is why:
Iniesta is Barca's best player in possession. United's key to winning is to let Barca dominate possession and defend in depth - as they did in the semi final last year. They then hit on the break - as they did last year and as Chelski did this year. With all Barca's fast defenders out of the final they will not be able to cope with Ronaldo et al. On the other hand, without Iniesta, I can see United having more possession and actually being themselves susceptible on the break to Eto'o and Messi.
It is good that Henry is out of the final as this will be one less component to worry about in terms of being hit on the break. However, INIESTA MUST PLAY FOR UNITED TO WIN!!
Messi Messi Messi
He better play because he is one of the many reasons for barcelona success!!!
even though I am an Arsenal Fan and I wish Arsenal would be here......seek revenge on these players!!!! as long as someone wins besides manchester united........iniesta BRILLIANT PLAYER......come join arsenal mate :D
THIS WILL BE A FINAL TO WATCH!!!!
haha all my friends are manchester united.......w/e only because of ronaldo who is a @#$%
I think football is all about heart, and will. Barca are at a disadvantage due to the fact that many of their key players are either missing or injured. Nevertheless, they r able to destroy MU with simply the players available. All it takes is 3 goals (Messi, Henry, Eto'o), and MU will be shattered. Barca have already showed so much heart (93 minute goal in semi), and are capable of taking down MU.
Iniesta looks like a ghost!
ya, 1 glimpse of quiet Messi touch, 1 flash of Iniesta magic, 1 shot that that 'world class' keeper CANNOT even saved, 1 shot on target n that proved more than enough to make all u chelski or so called EPL fans whining n murmuring the whole week..! 1 shot that went straight to Rome..!
live with that..!!
EPL teams have been dominant force in the pas few years in the CL. SO all of u insinuating that Barca will be too much i would advise you to watch the quarter finals again. Barca was in trouble the whole time against Chelsea, despite being the better team overall. 1 stat which speaks a lot, at the bridge barca had 1 single shot on target, that doesnt show just an amazing defence, but a struggling attack.
epl team not playing football like spain and italy.they playing taekwondo or rugby..so Barca will teach MU football like what did Milan teach Man U in San siro by 3-0 past two years
EVEN IF INIESTA PLAYS, MU WILL BEAT BARÇA!!!
WITHOUT HIM, THIS FINAL WILL BE NO CHALLENGE FOR MU. HE IS BARÇA'S KEY PLAYER.
CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHO IS MESSI????
Tim, shut up and take your face for a @#$%. You do not have a clue about the game and espeacially the EPL. Man Utd are a diffrent kettle of fish to Chelski, and with Barca only having half a defence available, you want to hope Man Utd don't take the piss to much. Go and watch cricket or netball, or take up chess. It has to be better than embarressing yourself on here.
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account