Barcelona to showcase Spanish football in final

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola is delighted to have his players fit for the Champions League final after beating Malaga 3-1 in La Liga.

An under-strength squad, without the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, was forced to come from behind before recording the win on Saturday with goals from Bojan Krkic, Ibrahim Afellay and Marc Bartra.

The title was already sealed for the Catalan giants, who finished the season with 96 points, four ahead of second-placed rivals Real Madrid.

Guardiola rested much of his squad to ensure they would be fully fit for Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United at Wembley.

“(The win) helps us to prepare the week with good spirits,” Guardiola said.

“(I am happy) to recover all the players for the Wembley final. I feel happy to have them available.”

“Everyone will travel to London knowing we represent a certain way of playing and we will try to do it in the best way possible.”

The Spanish boss said he had turned his attentions to the clash with United and pinpointed the concentration of his players as a vital aspect.

“We have to work during the week for Manchester and we will have to do plenty of mental work,” Guardiola said.

“We will have a good week and then we will start to get in the mood at the right moment, starting from Thursday.”

Guardiola said he wanted his team to symbolise Spanish football, but also warned his players they needed to be at their best.

“(Winning) the final is the objective and you have to be faithful. We are competing against a rival and against ourselves. We have to express ourselves to the maximum,” he said.

“La Liga is the most important competition, but now we have to play in the most attractive, fascinating game. The world will be watching us and we have to represent Spanish football.”