Source: Telegraph
Lionel Messi: Barcelona deserve to win Champions League
Champions League final
Barcelona v Manchester United
Kick-off: Wed May 27, 7.45pm, Olympic Stadium, Rome, Italy
TV: Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD1, ITV1, ITV HD
Radio: BBC Radio Five Live
Messi, who will go head to head in Rome with his rival as the world's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, also believes the Catalans will have the neutrals' vote as they sit on the verge of a historic Spanish treble of La Liga, King's Cup and European trophies.
On a day when Barca were keen to portray themselves as underdogs in next week's showdown, coach Pep Guardiola also admitted that he still was not sure if either of their key players, Thierry Henry or Andres Iniesta, would be fit for the game.
"We deserve victory for the spectacular football we have played all year," Messi said at the Nou Camp on Thursday. "The fans admire us and we deserve the reward.
"If we play as we have done all year then we will have a great chance to win. Manchester United have a very similar style to us, playing with the ball. They know how to counter well with speed and they are clinical.
"There are no favourites, but they are the ones who are defending the title so perhaps they are just ahead. For us, it has been a magnificent year, but we still have one big test left. Being so close to history gives us great motivation."
Asked about the personal battle with Ronaldo, he added: "It's two teams who have been playing the best the whole year but individual prizes are secondary. Both Cristiano and I will believe the team success is the only thing that matters really."
Chelsea's physical approach in the first leg of the semi-final had prompted outrage in Catalonia but Messi, sounding as if he was having a little dig at the London club, said he was confident United's approach would be very different and "for the good of the game".
"They won't play the way Chelsea did," he said. "They have a team to play good football and it will be an open final, a great final."
Constantly referring to United as being the "best team in the world" and talking of his limited options due to the suspension of Dani Alves and Eric Abidal, Guardiola reported: "We won't know until Monday or Tuesday about Iniesta and Henry's fitness. The doctors say yes but we'll have to see them in training."
