Barcelona 3/1 to make history after Man Utd victory
Published:Barcelona gained back any admirers that they lost after their ill-tempered semi-final against rivals Real Madrid with a return to their aesthetic best to brush aside Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League Final at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola’s side once again made light of suggestions that the Premier League is the dominant force in Europe with their third triumph in six years – English clubs combined have enjoyed fewer successes than that in the last dozen!
And with the Catalan tactician responsible for building a team judged by many to be the greatest of all time pledging his allegiance for another year in the aftermath, it’s no surprise that they are 3/1 to do it all again in 2011-12.
No club on the continent has claimed the trophy twice in a row in the Champions League era, with the last to do so being Arrigo Sacchi’s famous AC Milan side in 1989-90, but if anyone is going to change that, it’s surely Barcelona.
Opposite number Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to admit that his men had been outclassed by the finest opponents he had ever faced, yet revealed his eagerness to eventually overhaul them as his next big challenge in football.
The Red Devils are rated alongside Chelsea at 6/1 as the strongest contenders in the fight to stop Barcelona next season, while Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid (7/1) and newcomers Manchester City (10/1) completing the top five.
Despite being knockout stage ever-presents, Arsenal are out to 20/1 to become London’s first ever champions next term, with AC Milan 16/1 to help Italy pull level with Spain on 13 victories on the overall winners’ tally.
A £30 stake on Barcelona doing it all again in Munich would return £90. New customers can sign up here for a free £30 bet.
