This is the third Champions League final in six years, and the club has decided to stick with a winning formula. Valdés and Puyol spoke to the media before the last two finals and the team ended up collecting the trophy. They say that if it ain’t broke why fix it, and so the two Catalans were back in front of the press this evening.

The captain said it was a coincidence and the goalkeeper reckoned it has been a decided by a draw. Few people believed that in the press conference, while it was plain to see that these two companions of many battles have an awful lot in common.

Puyol: “I feel fine, I’m ready”

Puyol’s most recent battle was the one to be fit in time to appear in this huge game. “I feel fine, I’m ready” said the defender after a season that had been blighted by injury woes. “I haven’t played much in recent months. Now I’m better and have been able to train much more than for the semi final matches of the Champions League against Real Madrid.”

The Barça player said that “the team is very excited” and are ready to enjoy themselves. “It is not easy to get here”, he said, before adding that his team is lucky enough to have the best player in the world. “Leo always appears in the most important matches. I hope tomorrow is his day”, he told the newsmen.

The “dream final” for Valdés

Valdés spoke about the importance of “making history”. A Champions League final is not any old game, especially a dream final” between the two teams that have dominated European football over the last five years. “This is a game to win however we can. But we will stay loyal to our philosophy. The most important thing is to get to lift the cup.” He also remembered the original inspiration for this team came from Cruyff: “His shadow is always there as a reference and our coach has got that across to us.” And that comes from the only Barça keeper that, as of tomorrow, will have played in three Champions League finals.