Repeat fixture. What about history?

Desire. Will. Two things both these teams share which has enabled them to achieve a third. Domination. Between the two of them over the past half a decade, they have seven league titles, two European Cup triumphs and countless other laurels. And whatever happens tonight, it will only add to their credentials.

But the success of any team is down to the quality of its players. And when 15 of tonight’s probable 22 play for their national XI, you know there is no doubt about that. One among them is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Ballon D’or, an annual award for the best talent in today’s game. On the best of his days, he is seemingly unstoppable and unfortunately for the world’s defenders, such days tend to occur quite frequently. He is, to use the cliché, ‘Messimerising’. And with 31 goals in the league and chart-topping in the Champions League with 11 goals, only the irrelevant misfortune of never having scored on English soil might prevent the little wizard from having an impact on the back of the net. But formidable-at-forty van der Sar might have something to say about that. And considering the fact that this will be his last ever professional appearance, he’ll certainly be looking to go out on a high. And what’s better than helping his team win the coveted trophy for the second time in three years. But Leo is not a threat easily contained. Unlike former centre-forward David Villa, he is not a line-hugger but someone who likes to initiate plays from midfield and hoping to get on the other end of them too. And so the Red Devils’ highly-hailed defensive partnership of Vidic and Ferdinand will need all the help that is available to stop him from wreaking havoc.

Although, that is not the only worry for the Premier League champions. At the heart of the Blaugrana lie the passing duo of Xavi and Iniesta who in most matches tend to achieve a combined tally of passes more in aggregate than the whole of the opposition put together. But the 31-year-old deputy captain himself said in a recent interview that since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, United have grown as a side and they like to keep the ball. With Carrick sitting in a deep-playmaking position, breaking up opposition’s attacks and the ability to switch play far and wide; the experience of 37-year-old Welshman assisting him; and Rooney popping up in midfield and beyond all the time, this Manchester United side pose a threat very different from the one offered by the Fab Four in 2009. And that’s not all. Barcelona are a side that take pride in possession of the ball owing to which they are fragile on the counter. And in Chicharito, Park and Valencia, Ferguson’s men possess the perfect tools for extermination.

But the Catalans aren’t regarded as the team to beat for no reason at all. In their defence, they have the World Cup-winning formula of Puyol & Pique, helped by Busquets ahead of them, who while playing for Spain did not concede a single goal throughout the knockout stages, including the Final.

But this is another Final.

In a different place.

In another year.

And two different teams, bidding to win their fourth European title.

Should be a great final, no doubt.