BARCELONA

Status: Spanish champions, European champions
Nicknames: Barca

Barcelona's Lionel Messi
GettyImagesBarcelona's Lionel Messi

THE RECORD: The reigning kings of the Champions League took their time to join the ranks of the continent's elite as they did not lift their first European title until their 1992 triumph against Sampdoria at Wembley, yet they have made up for lost time by winning the ultimate prize in club football three times in the last five years.

TACTICIAN: Pep Guardiola
The Barca boss is fortunate to be working with a squad so sublimely talented that he merely needs to add the icing atop what is a deliciously appetising cake.

It has been suggested that any tactician would succeed at the helm of this Barca side, yet the dignity and calm professionalism this former Barca midfielder has shown since he took up the role in 2008 has provided the perfect backdrop to the brilliance at his fingertips. "Being European champions is a title we embrace and we want to do all we can to defend our trophy this season," Guardiola says.

THE GAMEPLAN: The summer signings of Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez have given the unstoppable Barca juggernaut even more attacking potency, with coach Guardiola switching from his winning 4-3-3 formula and experimenting with a 3-4-3 set-up. Defending, it seems, is becoming increasingly less significant for free-scoring Barca.

Barca's unrelenting desire to retrieve the ball on the rare occasions they do not have it has been a key factor in their dominance of European game, with the magic they produce when the ball is under their control never ceasing to delight and enchant.

MAIN MAN: Lionel Messi
There can only be one candidate to fill this position for Barcelona and it has to be the brilliant Messi, an attacking genius who already deserves be placed alongside the all-time greats of the game.

His majestic performance in last season's Champions League final against Manchester United confirmed beyond any doubt that he is in a league of his own in the modern era and his hunger for more shows no sign of waning. "Winning the Champions League at Wembley was a special moment for all of Barcelona, but this team will not be happy to settle for what we have," he says. "We want more and more."

BIG SIGNING: Cesc Fabregas
Fabregas' return to his first club finally came to pass this summer as, after much wrangling, Arsenal were forced to reluctantly hand their skipper back to Barcelona in a deal worth around £35 million.

The expectation was that Fabregas would eventually replace the majestic Xavi in the Barca midfield and that he may not be a first-choice pick this season, yet the new formation means there is room for Fabregas to add even more majesty to Guardiola's line-up straight away. He started scoring goals from the moment he put a Barca shirt on his back once more.

RISING STAR: Thiago
Barca fans enjoy seeing a graduate of their celebrated youth academy make the leap into their star-studded first-team and Thiago looks set to be given his chance to do just that as the champions defend their Champions League crown.

With Thiago's buy-out clause in his Barca contract reported to be a staggering €90 million, it is clear that the Catalan giants expect this classy 20-year-old to flourish into a true star. Born in Italy as the son of Brazilian World Cup-winner Mazinho, he was raised in Spain and has committed his international future to his adopted nation.

THE X FACTOR: Alexis Sanchez
Barca hardly needed any additional magic, yet the £25 million summer capture of Sanchez provided a thrilling injection of invention.

This Chile international may not be a first pick in the initial stages of this season's Champions League, but he offers coach Guardiola an option to give star names a rest if required. That could be a crucial factor when the knockout stages kick in next February.

FLAW IN THE MAKE-UP: Guardiola has been fortunate to have Messi, Iniesta and Xavi fit and available on a consistent basis throughout his time as Barca boss, but we have yet to discover whether his side would continue to thrive amid an injury crisis.

Messi, in particular, has bailed his side out of trouble time again in recent years and it would be impossible to fill the void he would leave should he be sidelined for a sustained period. That said, Barca have enough class oozing from their fringe players and celebrated youth academy to plug holes when they arise.

WHAT THEY SAY: "Barcelona are a fantastic team and there is no denying that they are right up there with the best of all time," Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says - and he is a man normally reluctant to pour praise on his chief rivals. "The challenge for everyone in Europe is to try and improve to get close to them because they mesmerise you with their passing and punish you with their finishing. Sometimes you have to accept you are beaten by the better team and that was certainly the case for us in last season's Champions League final."

VERDICT: If they perform at their best and stay injury-free, no one can stop them.