Blue chip Barca and United only boast blue collar records in the competition, writes Miguel Delaney

IT WILL be no surprise if the same basic conclusions are drawn from this Saturday’s Ulster championship clash in Armagh and the Champions League final in London.

RIO FERDINAND is convinced fellow centre-half Gerard Pique would not have taken such giant strides in his career if he had remained with Manchester United.

XAVI HERNANDEZ, the world’s finest midfielder, remembers the advice he received when, aged 10, he made a first tentative journey to La Masia, the 18th century farmhouse in the shadow of the Camp Nou where FC Barcelona school their kids.

PORTO president Pinto da Costa is convinced Andre Villas-Boas would reject any approach from Chelsea — despite the highly-rated coach having a release clause of just €15 million.

NEMANJA VIDIC has insisted Manchester United will not fall victim to any gamesmanship from Barcelona players as Alex Ferguson’s side build up to Saturday’s Champions League final.

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Alex Ferguson told an aide to ban an Associated Press sports writer after he asked a question about midfielder Ryan Giggs.

THE competitor in Shaka Hislop still winces at the memory.

WIND back to August, and a one-on-one chat with Barcelona’s new signing David Villa at the training ground. A recent World Cup winner, Villa was enthusing about his new life at Camp Nou when Barça’s press chief walked past.

BARCELONA’S players believe Manchester United have improved since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in 2009.

RYAN GIGGS might have kept his alleged relationship with reality TV star Imogen Thomas private if he had not taken out an injunction to protect his privacy, the model’s publicist has claimed.

NEMANJA VIDIC’S agent has dismissed talk of the Manchester United captain leaving Old Trafford.

LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard believes new signing Jordan Henderson has the ability to succeed him as the team’s driving force.

MANCHESTER UNITED icon Eric Cantona is coming back to Old Trafford.

CARL JENKINSON hopes to become Arsenal’s new Tony Adams after the young defender completed a dream move to his boyhood club.

All the plans for this house were concocted by its intrepid owner. Rose Martin investigates.

Twitter was there when Osama bin Laden was killed, and is credited with aiding the Arab Spring Risings, but it is often banal and goes over the legal edge when it comes to celebrities, writes Michael Clifford

DAMIEN RICHARDSON is delighted to be involved with the sort of company the inaugural Dublin Super Cup will bring to the Aviva Stadium next month, having been yesterday named as manager of the Airtricity League XI.