Champions League Final facts and figures

TODAY’S final between Arsenal and Barcelona will decide the champion of Europe for the 51st time and marks the 50th anniversary of the first final played at the Parc des Princes in Paris on June 13, 1956. 

IT will be Barcelona’s fifth appearance in the final and Arsenal’s first. 

BARCELONA won the European Cup for the only time in 1992, and were beaten finalists in 1961, 1986 and 1994. 

IN 1992 Barcelona beat Sampdoria 1-0 at Wembley Stadium while in 1961 they lost 3-2 to Benfica in Berne; in 1986 they lost on penalties to Steaua Bucharest in Seville and in 1994 they lost 4-0 to AC Milan in Athens. 

THE 1992 final was not Barcelona’s last appearance at Wembley. Arsenal used Wembley for their home Champions League matches in 1999-2000 and played Barcelona there in October 1999. Barcelona won 4-2. The only other European match between them ended in a 1-1 draw in Barcelona. 

BARCELONA’s last European defeat was in the second round in last season’s competition when they lost 4-2 to Chelsea on March 8, 2005 in London, losing the tie 5-4 on aggregate. They are unbeaten in all 12 Champions League games this season and have not conceded a goal in the last four. They avenged last season’s defeat with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the first knockout round this season. 

AGAINST English sides in the Champions League, Barcelona have won 10 of their 20 games, drawing seven and losing three. 

BARCELONA are playing in their 15th European final, one short of the record held by Real Madrid. 

ARSENAL beat a European club competition record in the semi-finals against Villarreal, completing 10 consecutive matches without conceding a goal. 

AGAINST Spanish clubs in the Champions League, Arsenal have won six and lost six of their 16 games. 

ARSENAL played two other Spanish clubs in the knockout section of this season’s tournament, getting past Real Madrid in the last 16 and Villarreal in the semi-finals. They are unbeaten in their last six matches against Spanish sides and have not conceded a goal in their last five. 

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 13 Champions League games, a run which has been bettered by only six other clubs – Bayern Munich (19), Ajax (19), Manchester United (16), Liverpool (14), Lyon (14) and Barcelona (14). 

ARSENAL’s last Champions League defeat was a 3-1 reverse to Bayern Munich in the last 16 on Feb 22, 2005. The last goal they conceded was scored by Markus Rosenberg of Ajax in the 71st minute of their match in Amsterdam on Sept 27 last year. They have kept their goal intact in 919 minutes of Champions League football since. 

IF Arsenal win, they will join an elite group of four other clubs to have won titles in all three traditional European club competitions – European Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Cup (formerly Fairs Cup). The others are Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus. 

IF Arsenal striker Thierry Henry scores, it would be his 50th goal in European competition and would make him only the sixth player to reach this mark, after Gerd Mueller, Eusebio, Andriy Shevchenko, Jupp Heynckes and Raul. To date, Henry has scored 41 for Arsenal and eight for Monaco. 

Clubs from England, Italy and Spain hold the record for European Cup victories with 10 each. Arsenal, for England, or Barcelona, for Spain, would set a new record of 11. 

The final marks the 100th time English and Spanish teams have been drawn to play each other in European competition. Of 192 matches played so far, 76 have been won by Spanish teams, 63 by English clubs and 53 have been drawn. 

ENGLAND hold the record for most titles in the three European club competitions with 28, one ahead of Spain and Italy. 

THE final is the fifth in Europe’s premier competition to have been played in Paris and all have featured either an English or Spanish club or both. The other Paris finals were staged in 1956, 1975, 1981 and 2000. 

IT will be Barcelona’s fifth appearance in the final and Arsenal’s first. 

BARCELONA won the European Cup for the only time in 1992, and were beaten finalists in 1961, 1986 and 1994. 

IN 1992 Barcelona beat Sampdoria 1-0 at Wembley Stadium while in 1961 they lost 3-2 to Benfica in Berne; in 1986 they lost on penalties to Steaua Bucharest in Seville and in 1994 they lost 4-0 to AC Milan in Athens. 

THE 1992 final was not Barcelona’s last appearance at Wembley. Arsenal used Wembley for their home Champions League matches in 1999-2000 and played Barcelona there in October 1999. Barcelona won 4-2. The only other European match between them ended in a 1-1 draw in Barcelona. 

BARCELONA’s last European defeat was in the second round in last season’s competition when they lost 4-2 to Chelsea on March 8, 2005 in London, losing the tie 5-4 on aggregate. They are unbeaten in all 12 Champions League games this season and have not conceded a goal in the last four. They avenged last season’s defeat with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the first knockout round this season. 

AGAINST English sides in the Champions League, Barcelona have won 10 of their 20 games, drawing seven and losing three. 

BARCELONA are playing in their 15th European final, one short of the record held by Real Madrid. 

ARSENAL beat a European club competition record in the semi-finals against Villarreal, completing 10 consecutive matches without conceding a goal. 

AGAINST Spanish clubs in the Champions League, Arsenal have won six and lost six of their 16 games. 

ARSENAL played two other Spanish clubs in the knockout section of this season’s tournament, getting past Real Madrid in the last 16 and Villarreal in the semi-finals. They are unbeaten in their last six matches against Spanish sides and have not conceded a goal in their last five. 

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 13 Champions League games, a run which has been bettered by only six other clubs – Bayern Munich (19), Ajax (19), Manchester United (16), Liverpool (14), Lyon (14) and Barcelona (14). 

ARSENAL’s last Champions League defeat was a 3-1 reverse to Bayern Munich in the last 16 on Feb 22, 2005. The last goal they conceded was scored by Markus Rosenberg of Ajax in the 71st minute of their match in Amsterdam on Sept 27 last year. They have kept their goal intact in 919 minutes of Champions League football since. 

IF Arsenal win, they will join an elite group of four other clubs to have won titles in all three traditional European club competitions – European Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Cup (formerly Fairs Cup). The others are Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus. 

IF Arsenal striker Thierry Henry scores, it would be his 50th goal in European competition and would make him only the sixth player to reach this mark, after Gerd Mueller, Eusebio, Andriy Shevchenko, Jupp Heynckes and Raul. To date, Henry has scored 41 for Arsenal and eight for Monaco. 

Clubs from England, Italy and Spain hold the record for European Cup victories with 10 each. Arsenal, for England, or Barcelona, for Spain, would set a new record of 11. 

The final marks the 100th time English and Spanish teams have been drawn to play each other in European competition. Of 192 matches played so far, 76 have been won by Spanish teams, 63 by English clubs and 53 have been drawn. 

ENGLAND hold the record for most titles in the three European club competitions with 28, one ahead of Spain and Italy. 

THE final is the fifth in Europe’s premier competition to have been played in Paris and all have featured either an English or Spanish club or both. The other Paris finals were staged in 1956, 1975, 1981 and 2000.