Saturday, May 28, 2011

Owen eyes perfect final

Michael Owen admits it would be a dream to score on Saturday against Barcelona, in a game he describes as “the perfect final”.


The Reds striker, who netted United's last goal of the 2010/11 domestic campaign against Blackpool at Old Trafford, has never played in a Champions League final. He's not convinced he'll start this one, either, but insists he'll be ready should he be called upon from the bench.
“We have such a good squad here so we'll have to wait and see [if I feature]. But if I'm on the bench and I'm brought on then I'd love to score, obviously. But I've got to get on the bench first before I can even think about getting on the pitch.
“It doesn't frustrate me [starting so few games]. If I was at a smaller club then I'd never be involved in any big games. At least here at United I've got a chance of playing in them.”
Games don't come much bigger than United and Barcelona in a European Cup final.
“It's a cracking game,” Owen said. “If you look at European football then you'd say it's the ideal final. I think the purists and the neutrals would probably say Barcelona and United are the best two teams in Europe right now. It's the perfect final.”
The same was said of the 2009 showpiece in Rome, and that ended in tears for the Reds. On that occasion, Barcelona won 2-0, despite a bright start by Sir Alex Ferguson's men. Indeed, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ji-sung Park both had good chances in the opening 10 minutes to put the Reds ahead, before goals by Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi clinched the silverware.
Owen wasn't at Old Trafford then, although he has watched the tapes of that match in the build-up to this Saturday's fixture.
“We try not to speak about Rome too much, to be honest,” he said. “We don't want any negative thoughts going through our minds. We're just focusing on what we do best and how we can play against Barcelona.
“But what I will say is that if you look at the game in Rome, we were outstanding in the 15 minutes. If we'd scored a goal it would have been a different game.
“We have to make sure we score that goal this time.”

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