The new Angels and Demons movie is based in Rome so it got us thinking who might end up being an angel or a demon after Wednesday's Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona.

Will one of the goalkeepers drop a clanger or will Cristiano Ronaldo belt one in again from 40 metres? It's a big pitch at the Stadio Olimpico, but I can see Lionel Messi running the length of it with the ball at his feet...

New thread on this here...

New thread on this here...

Manchester United's Red Devils will be wearing angelic white in Wednesday's Champions League final, just how Alex Ferguson likes it.

Barcelona are the nominal home team for the 'dream final' in Rome and as their famous claret and blue tops clash with United's usual red and their first choice blue away kit, the holders will wander onto the pristine Stadio Olimpico pitch in white.

"We’ll wear white, we are very happy with that," Ferguson beamed.

Of course United wore white the last time they met and beat Barca in a European final, the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup showpiece in English clubs' first year back in Europe after Heysel.

Former Barcelona striker Mark Hughes scored twice in the 2-1 win in Rotterdam.

What's your prediction this time?

PHOTO: Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson arrives for a news conference ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final soccer match against Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium in Rome May 26, 2009. REUTERS/Max Rossi

“The naysayers have been silenced for good,” read the lead of the Irish Times sports pages this morning after Leinster finally turned unrivalled potential into serious silverware by edging twice-champions Leicester to the Heineken Cup on Saturday.

After the humiliating semi-final defeat to Munster in 2006, the embarrassingly tame last-four exit to Perpignan three years earlier and only a couple of Celtic League titles either side, a beaming Brian O’Driscoll understandably said he’d been waiting ten years for such a day.

Leinster had been simply aching to prove their critics wrong for just as long. After a decade of underachievement, it had been thoroughly etched into the public consciousness that the province had no backbone, no heart, no bottle. They were individuals, never a team.

Essentially they weren’t Munster. In a very definite urban-rural divide, Leinster were the fancy city boys — all style and no substance while the southerners were the antitheses and had two Heineken Cups to prove it.

But out of the shadow of their powerhouse provincial rivals, Michael Cheika’s men “put all that culture crap to bed” with three stunning knockout stage performances and weren’t about to forget those who didn’t think they had it them.

“We haven’t forgotten the things that were said about us in December by certain quarters of the media,” O’Driscoll said, referring to the 18-15 group stage loss to Castres that put their championship hopes in doubt and brought the knives out sharper than before.

“I could list off a name, a number of names, but I’m not going to do so. You don’t forget that. We’ve gone and proved those people particularly wrong. There were some very distasteful things said.”

If Cheika had been inclined to pin up a newspaper article to motivate his troops on Saturday, he would have had a raft to choose from when the wheels seemed to be coming off once more at the end of last year.

“Leinster’s lacklustre ladyboys,” ran a headline in the Sunday Tribune after that Castres defeat when ex-Leinster and Ireland lock turned analyst Neil Francis said definitively that his former province were out of the competition.

“It was a disgraceful, gutless, leaderless, spineless performance and one which embellishes the reputation they have all over Europe,” Francis wrote, adding that none of the Leinster side would travel to South Africa as a Lion the following summer.

With some glee O’Driscoll, Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip ducked out for an early night on Saturday ahead of their flight to Johannesburg the following morning, as Francis filed a vastly different headline: ”Champions at last, ladyboys no more.”

PHOTO: Leinster’s Brian O’Driscoll celebrates after defeating Leicester in the Heineken Cup rugby final at Murrayfield, May 23, 2009. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Major finals featuring the best teams and the best players, the ones we talk up in advance as being for the connoisseur, often turn out to be the most disappointing, don't they? Maybe it's stage fright, too much respect for the opposition or the stakes being just too high, but great teams often seem to save their worst football for finals.

There are exceptions, of course. The 2005 Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool produced exquisite football in the first half from the Italians, and drama that will live long in the minds of anyone who watched it as Liverpool came back.

But when you look back on other Champions League and World Cup finals, how many can you remember for the quality of the football more than the result itself?

There was little on show in last year's game between Manchester United and Chelsea so why are so many people expecting this year's contest between United and Barcelona to be so different?

I think there is a reason, and I hope I'm proved right by the events on Wednesday in Rome.

A football match can be ruined by almost anything but the surest route to a damp squib is fear of failure.

Neither side on Wednesday has any need to fear the consequences of a defeat. They're both at the top of the tree domestically, and both have had recent experience of winning the Champions League. It goes without saying they'll be desperate to win, but no one's job will be on the line, no project will stand or fall by this one result. Both teams will expect to be back in another Champions League final soon enough.

The last time two outstanding and supremely self-confident teams met in a Champions League final was arguably 1999, when Manchester United faced Bayern Munich. The problem then was that neither side had recent experience of a final. United in particular seemed overawed and it was only the last couple of minutes that rescued what was otherwise a pretty dire match.

Looking further back down the list, the eye is drawn to 1994, when a Barcelona side that had won the competition two years previously, and included Pep Guardiola in midfield, suffered a humbling 4-0 defeat by AC Milan, who had lost the 1993* final to Marseille.

You may argue that the final was too one-sided to be remembered as a classic, but the performance from Milan will go down as one of the great ones.

Will Barcelona, United or both be able to play to that sort of level in Rome on Wednesday? Will Iniesta, Xavi and Messi find the perfect weight and direction on those passes around the penalty area to cut the English defence in two? Will United's rampant counter-attacks make it another night to forget for Guardiola?

Whatever happens, I suspect we'll be talking about it for a long time... as long as the two teams stay true to themselves.

* Amended after temporary mind failure on part of author had 2003... (see comments)

PHOTO: Policemen show the UEFA Champions League trophy in front of the Arch of Constantine and Colosseum in Rome May 23, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

You can charter Flavio Briatore’s Force Blue ‘yacht’ for $235,000 a week during the low season. For that, you get five decks, a gymnasium, Turkish steam bath, cinema and cabin space for 12 guests.

There’s also a mud bath and massage room.

Unfortunately it’s not available during Monaco Grand Prix week, but then life is full of disappointments.

Somehow I suspect that Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the team bosses, including Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, didn’t get the most out of the facilities during several hours on board on Friday talking about the future of the sport.

The irony of the fact that they were meeting on a boat that probably cost its owner a sizeable chunk of the 40 million pound budget cap that they were so opposed to was not lost on those waiting on the wrong end of the gangway.

I might as well come straight out and admit that I love the Monaco Grand Prix.

It’s my favourite race, not just because it never fails to make friends and family insanely jealous but because the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else. It may be the slowest race of the year, with precious little overtaking, but no other race comes close in my book.

With a permanent pass, you can walk around the circuit during practice and stand barely a metre away from the speeding cars with no wire mesh fence between you and them.

Standing in the tunnel as the drivers blast through during a practice session is an utterly unforgettable experience, even with ear plugs.

This is a spectator’s paradise and, with the track reverting back to regular traffic after the sessions, you can only sit and gawp.

After a while you start to wonder what it must be like to live in Monaco and not own a Ferrari, Maserati or some other piece of even more exotic machinery. The shame of it.

As I fanned myself outside Briatore’s boat with a glossy, and suitably stiff, flyer for the luxury opening of Billionaire nightclub, one had to wonder why the girls handing them out should consider a group of sweaty reporters and photographers as potential customers. Maybe they were just taking pity.

But that’s typical Monaco. Not exactly all show and no substance, since material wealth is very much in evidence even in these supposedly lean credit crunch times, but sometimes just plain crazy.

Sitting on the quayside, it all comes to you. There’s no need to buy a copy of Hello magazine.

Montezemolo arrived for the meeting looking every inch the Italian playboy — flicking his hair and reclining luxuriantly in the back of a motor launch ferrying him across the water as if in a Luchino Visconti movie.

Briatore’s wife, fashion model Elisabetta Gregoraci waved from an upper deck with her pet dog under her arm.

Italian television hostess Simona Ventura turned up in a sleek Maserati, manouevring carefully past a parked Rolls Royce convertible, and was welcomed aboard.

Some passing American tourists wondered what was going on. Someone filled them in — Formula One team bosses having a meeting. “Oh, they’re just having a party,” said one to another.

And then it was time to really rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Having a meeting on board a boat may ensure privacy but it does have a notable drawback — everyone has to walk the plank to get off again and that is not easy when one end is hemmed in by a phalanx of television crews, reporters and assorted hangers-on.

The prospect of someone ending up in the harbour grew by the minute and Montezemolo was overwhelmed by a barrage of microphones and cameras the moment he stepped off. He seemed to quite enjoy it.

And then it was off to another meeting and a couple more hours spent waiting outside the Automobile Club de Monaco on the main pit straight, watching the Ferraris and Harley Davidsons cruise past.

PHOTO: Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo speaks with reporters at the end of Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) meeting held onboard of Renault F1 principal Flavio Briatore’s boat in the Monte Carlo harbour before the Monaco F1 Grand Prix May 22, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Pratta

"Highly intelligent" and "Arsene Wenger" sit neatly together in countless newspaper columns outlining the exploits, achievements and travails of the cerebral Arsenal manager.

Consequently there was no elaborate deconstruction required following an interview with a French television channel at the club's training ground this week.

Wenger, who habitually brushes aside any question of his allegiance to the north London club, was asked his thoughts about yet another approach from Real Madrid if Florentino Perez returns as president.

"With Florentino Perez in charge, the project he has put forward would be interesting for any coach but I would prefer  not to comment on this," Wenger replied.

Wenger was fully aware that he had already commented. His response followed a sometimes acrimonious question-and-answer session with the Arsenal shareholders on the previous night and grumbling among fans who have been forced to absorb higher season ticket prices during a fourth consecutive season without a trophy.

The prospect of Wenger defecting to the Bernabeu after 13 years at Arsenal inspired an instant response in north London and one gratifying to the many supporters of a sensitive man committed to his vision of the beautiful game and convinced that style and success are not mutually exclusive. The group Redaction has mobilised a march of supporters for Sunday's home match against Stoke and online petitions backing Wenger have been launched.

Wenger met Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis on Wednesday and was diplomacy personified afterwards. "There's nothing to worry about," he said. "I'm staying here. If that changes I will let you know, but don't worry about that. It's not an issue."

To the majority of fans a semi-final spot in this season's Champions League and fourth place in the Premier League, based on frequently brilliant if often brittle football, are no petty achievements. For the uncommitted, Arsenal in full flow are a reminder of the splendour which attracted them to sport in the first place.

The problem is the relentless pressure to succeed which distorts modern sport and has turned football clubs into franchises. Impatient chief executives believe pouring millions into their clubs should ensure success. The reality is more complex than a balance sheet.

If Wenger were to leave, Arsenal would lose a great and committed manager with a proven track record including two league and FA Cup doubles. His captain Cesc Fabregas may very well head to the exits along with a host of other carefully nurtured young talent. And where, then, would the club turn?

No man or manager is infallible. Frank McLintock, captain of the 1971 double-winning Arsenal side, alluded to a stubborn streak in Wenger and the lack of physical strength in the spine of the current team.

"If you do question his policy it can feel a bit like criticising the Pope," McLintock wrote in the Guardian. "The team needs an immediate injection of power."

A modern version of the rugged Scotland centre-half would be a start. It should not be beyond the wit of Wenger or the budget of Arsenal.

PHOTO: Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger watches during their English Premier League soccer match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in Manchester, May 16, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

French Open third seed Andy Murray has been given a really tough first round opponent in Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela.

Just a couple of years ago Chela would have been the favourite to win on Roland Garros’s clay.

Women’s top seed Dinara Safina has drawn Britain’s Anne Keothavong, who became the first British woman in 26 years to reach the semi-finals of a clay-court tournament in Warsaw this week.

The French Open starts on Sunday. Here’s a link to the full draw.

World number seven Paul Casey may be less than enamoured with John Daly’s dress sense but he remains a big fan of the colourful American’s golfing skills.

Twice major winner Daly is in the middle of a five-week run of tournaments in Europe and while his golf has been largely unspectacular, his multi-coloured trousers have certainly captured everyone’s attention.

“I saw John today and look at his trousers, they were outrageous,” Casey told reporters at the PGA Championship at Wentworth on Thursday. “I hope he’s getting a lot of money (for wearing them).

“But today I saw him hit this four-iron fantastically and he stopped it on the green and it was from about 230 yards. That was something. There are a lot of great players out here but John creates memories. When he’s out on the golf course he brings a smile to people’s faces and that’s the most important thing.”

Daly achieved his best result for nearly four years when the 1991 U.S. PGA champion and 1995 British Open winner tied second in this month’s Italian Open.

He has often been the subject of unsavoury headlines but has worked hard on his game since being banned in November for bringing the U.S. PGA Tour into disrepute after he was accused of being drunk outside a bar.

“I think he is a great guy at heart,” said Ryder Cup player Casey. “Has he possibly made a couple of mistakes (in his time)? Yes, but I think they pale in comparison to what’s going on in the world in general right now.

“It is great to see him out here. I am a huge fan of John’s golf. I’ve just walked through the practice range and there’s about 50 people standing behind, watching what he does. I think it’s great, it brings something to this golf tournament. I love the way he plays. I think he is so talented. He has always been a gentleman to me and he’s a pleasure to be around.”

FILE PHOTO: Spectators wearing colourful trousers watch from the stands on the 17th hole during third round play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida March 15,2008. REUTERS/Hans Deryk

After the globe giggled at Athens in 2004 for letting swathes of Olympics seats go empty, organisers of the far more obscure 2009 World Games in equally obscure Taiwan are doing whatever it takes to pack the venues for such unlikely events as billiards and beach handball. Tug-of-war, anyone?

Whatever it takes, in this case, includes selling seats to China. World Games host city Mayor Chen Chu travelled there on Thursday for a four-day visit, intending to sell the 90 percent of events tickets that are unclaimed so far before the curtain goes up on July 16.

Chen is a leading figure in a Taiwan opposition party that wants formal independence for self-ruled Taiwan, which mighty Beijing claims as its own for historical reasons and has threatened to take by force.

But she’s also “realistic and pragmatic,” to quote Taiwan political scientist Andrew Yang. She knows Beijing can use its authoritarian rule to send hordes of travel-hungry Chinese tourists to the World Games, quickly quashing any Athens-style absenteeism.

“You can’t ignore such a large group of the world’s public, and her polls have shown that some people in her city support more contact with China,” said Kou Chien-wen, a politics professor in Taipei.

Chen plans to market the 300,000 World Games tickets and her normally uneventful city Kaohsiung to countries besides China, but who else will have the power or interest in packing her stadiums?

PHOTO: Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu (L) presents an invitation of the 2009 World Games to her Beijing counterpart Guo Jinlong during their meeting in Beijing May 21, 2009. REUTERS/China Daily

In an earlier post, Julian Linden argued that Australia’s cricketers have all the firepower needed to retain the Ashes in England despite some relatively new faces in the squad.

Here Ed Osmond takes a different view, wondering if the absence of Andrew Symonds and Australia’s lack of spin options may help the English.

England should be highly delighted by Australia’s decision to omit all-rounder Andrew Symonds from their Ashes squad.

The big Queenslander may have had disciplinary issues over the past year, but his cricketing ability should not be under-estimated.

Always a talented stroke player, Symonds has added steel and composure to his batting, which he showed in making vital test centuries against England in Melbourne in 2006 and India in Sydney in 2008.

His gentle medium-pacers or off-spinners do not usually cause too many problems for batsmen but Symonds has a presence which makes him an ideal potential partnership breaker and he is one of the best outfielders in world cricket.

Australia have high hopes of exciting young batsman Phil Hughes who has been in a rich vein form for English county Middlesex and his opening partnership with the experienced Simon Katich will be vital.

Katich struggled badly on the 2005 Ashes tour but through sheer weight of runs earned a recall to the test side and has performed consistently in recent series.

Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke should score the bulk of the team’s runs in a quality middle-order but if any of them fail to find their form there are no other specialist batsmen in the squad and the selectors may rue the omission of the experienced Brad Hodge.

The seam bowling department has been boosted by the returns of fit-again Brett Lee and Stuart Clark to join Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus. Lee, however, was struggling for form before his recent injury problems and will be under pressure to reclaim his status as Australia’s leading fast bowler.

Spin is also a potential problem for the Australians with the largely defensive Nathan Hauritz the only specialist slow bowler in the party.

The Australians have tried a number of spinners since the retirement of Shane Warne and Hauritz will need to take wickets for them as well as play the containing role for which he is ideally suited.

PHOTO: Australia’s Andrew Symonds dives for a ball during the final day of their second test in St. John’s, Antigua June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Andy Clark