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 Quest to raise the Cup Man United, Bayern Munich hunt triple crown glory
Posted: Monday May 24, 1999 11:34 AM
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- It's England vs. Germany all over again. One of the fiercest rivalries in soccer resumes Wednesday -- this time on the club level -- when Manchester United faces Bayern Munich in the European Champions League final at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium. Both teams are aiming to complete a historic triple of domestic league, domestic cup and European Cup titles. British bookmakers have made the Red Devils of Manchester United 7-4 favorites to win their first European Cup in 31 years. Bayern clinched its 15th Bundesliga title with three games to spare and has reached the German Cup final against Weder Bremen on June 12 in Berlin. Manchester United captured its fifth Premier League in seven seasons and then went on to win the FA Cup on Saturday, beating Newcastle 2-0 to complete its third domestic double in five years. No English or German team has ever won all three trophies in one season. Bayern won three European Cup titles in the Franz Beckenbauer era, with the last of three consecutive victories coming in 1976. Bayern Munich was also runner-up in 1982 and 1987. Manchester has won the European Cup only once -- beating Benfica 4-1 in 1968. The last time English and German clubs met in the European Cup final was in 1982, when Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich 1-0. Manchester United and Bayern met twice in Champions League group games this season, drawing both times. It's been at the national team level where England and Germany have played out their greatest matches. England's only World Cup triumph, in 1996, was secured with a 4-2 win over West Germany in the final at Wembley. If recent form of England-Germany games holds true, it's likely Wednesday's game will come down to penalties. Germany beat England on penalty kicks at the 1990 World Cup and the 1996 European Championships. All signs point to a Manchester United victory. Despite the Premier League and FA Cup triumphs, United manager Alex Ferguson's main priority all year has been the European title. "All along we have said the other games are important, but Wednesday really is the big one for us," United defender Gary Neville said. Ferguson has masterfully motivated his players to peak for three title-winning games in a span of 11 days. "They've responded to it really well," he said. "Every game, they've been up for it. That speak volumes for them. It's something in their makeup. They've got that continuous drive that certain people have got, whether it's in industry or whatever. You sense from the spirit in there that they won't let us down on Wednesday. They're dying to play now." Manchester will be without captain Roy Keane, arguably the club's most valuable player this year at central midfield, and forward Paul Scholes. Both are suspended. Dutch defender Jaap Stam has struggled with an achilles injury but came on as a substitute in the FA Cup final and is expected to be fit Wednesday. United, the richest club in the world, will have a lineup featuring some ofthe world's biggest stars -- Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, playing in his last game for United; midfielder David Beckham, winger Ryan Giggs and strikers Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole. Bayern warmed up for the Champions League final with a 4-2 Bundesliga victory over Bochum. Bayern officially celebrated the title in a central Munich square with about 20,000 fans. "I hope that on Wednesday in Barcelona we will achieve what we set out to achieve at the start of the season: win all three titles," Beckenbauer told the crowd. The former Bayern captain is now the president of the club and he brought in coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who had taken Borussia Dortmund to the Champions Cup title in 1997. Hitzfeld imposed discipline on a talented but previously disjointed squad with 18 internationals from six nations. He also introduced a rotation system, resting some of the stars in the league to keep them fresh for the wear and tear of three parallel competitions. Bayern players -- previously laughingly referred to as FC Hollywood for their soap-opera bickering -- became a tough, success-oriented club. Hitzfeld, a former math teacher, could become only the second coach after the late Ernst Happel to win the Champions Cup wih two different teams. "We have 18 internationals, we have a super coach, we have a deep team," said Stefan Effenberg, Bayern's midfield leader. "I think these factors all came together. It's been a long time since Bayern has seen a year like this." Apart from Effenberg, Bayern has veteran sweeper Lothar Matthaeus, talented but mercurial midfielder Mario Basler and the burly, fear-inspiring striker Carsten Jancker. Bayern top striker, Brazilian Giovane Elber, and defensive midfielder Bixente Lizarazu, the French World Cup star, are both out for the season with knee injuries. They were key factors to Bayern's achievements this season.
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