By Alex Soares
23 May 2011 17:44:00
UEFA Champions League: Dani Alves (FC Barcelona)
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Barcelona‘s Dani Alves is expecting a thrilling Champions League final against Manchester United between Europe’s “two best teams”.
The side’s meet on Saturday at Wembley, and the livewire Brazilian is predicting a classic.
“I imagine that both sides will play a very open game, because they’re both teams that like to play football – that try and create chances and attack from the off,” he told fifa.com.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a great spectacle because, at the end of the day, that’s what you expect from a meeting of Europe’s two best teams. ”
The marauding right-back also praised Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, and talked about his future with the Brazilian national team.
“I do believe that I’m an important part of our playing system,” he said “It’s clearly hard for anyone to stand out in a squad that has so many star names, which is why I’m so happy to have that opportunity.”
The 28-year-old revealed that he slotted into life at Camp Nou easily, and could not turn down the chance to join the club in 2008.
He continued: “To be honest it was very easy, I felt right at home. I thought it was an excellent opportunity to join a team that was being rebuilt, because I knew that I might have the chance to go down in club history – by being part of a great turnaround. ”
Alves also jumped at the opportunity to single out the impact of Guardiola on his development.
“Guardiola is a sensational guy,” he said. “When he was a player he already behaved like a coach out on the pitch: he used to boss the team.
“He’s a very reasonable man, he knows the players well and knows exactly what they need. Soon after I joined we had a conversation that had a big impact on me. He called me over and said: ‘I don’t want you to change the way you play.'”