Everybody knows how these two teams play the beautiful game. Manchester United have recently been no-nonsense performers, with Champions League Final opponents, Barcelona gaining deserved recognition for being slick, cultured, and sophisticated.
A cultural chasm.
Exposed for all to see last night in London's glitzy West End, where the United squad were treated to a team bonding exercise, by way of a theatre trip, to see 'Jersey Boys' - a musical production celebrating the triumphant careers of doo-wop legends, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
The Barcelona squad chose to go to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, to see a production of Macbeth.
The United lads went out in jeans and tee shirts, whilst the Barca boys attended the ROH in evening suits, formally dressed.
Which simply highlights in many people's eyes, tha yawning crevasse between the outlook of the two squads. Barca - smooth, sophisticated, complex - United, a bunch of old cloggers.
According to sources, BBC Match Of The Day presenter, Gary Lineker predicted:
"That's how I expect the Champions League Final to pan out. Barcelona will be slick and sophisticated, United will just probably hoof it and hope. You could say that one's a silk purse, and the other's a sow's ear. I'll let you decide which is which. In football, any team that relaxes by reading the works of Plato, or Aristotle, is going to bloody murder a bunch of Northern oiks who listen to Lady Gaga on iPods, and spend their leisure time pissing up back alleys in the early morning hours and entertaining escort girls. I used to play for Barcelona, you know. So did Mark Hughes. But I was much better than him."
More as we get it.
