And Guardiola claimed his side would not have achieved their record total of 99 points if not for being pushed all the way by Real Madrid.

Barca needed a win to secure a seventh trophy in less than two years under Guardiola, regardless of Madrid's result in Malaga.

And the Catalans made sure as they brushed aside lowly Valladolid - now relegated - at the Nou Camp with another scintillating display of attacking football.

Luis Prieto's own-goal gave Barca the lead and Pedro added an excellent second shortly afterwards before Lionel Messi's second-half brace.

Speaking about his team, Guardiola said: "They have been exemplary and I couldn't have asked for more, their effort and work has been outstanding.

"I (also) have to congratulate the coach and players of Real Madrid for an extraordinary campaign.

Rafael Da Silva (Manchester United) vs Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)

With Sir Alex Ferguson opting for youth before experience, Rafael will replace Gary Neville as the man to man-mark Ribery. The Frenchman was all over Neville in the first half of the first leg - running the veteran into the ground with his pace and trickery on the flank.

Rafael's stamina will give United a huge advantage, but the youngster will have to curb his penchant for going on attacking runs and leaving wide open spaces behind him.

If the past is anything to go by, Rafael hails from the Paul Scholes School of tackling - and he'll have to be very careful not to go in stabbing with his leg when Ribery is in and around the penalty box.

Michael Carrick (Manchester United) vs Mark Van Bommel (Bayern Munich)

Carrick will likely replace Scholes, who played the full 90 minutes in the first leg. The younger midfielder will be up against the highly experienced Van Bommel. The Dutchman was relatively quiet in the first leg except for one exhilarating run which culminated in Edwin van der Sar having to make a brilliant save.

The Bayern Munich star has already caused the Red Devils some pain, scoring the equaliser in Germany last week, even if he did benefit from a pretty wicked deflection off Wayne Rooney.

Yet with United needing to attack in an effort to overturn Bayern's 2-1 advantage, the stage seems set for Ribery to prove why he is rated as one of the most dangerous wide men in the world.

Not that Ferguson sounds like a potential suitor.

After dismissing claims Ribery could worry Gary Neville by claiming he was "no faster" than the veteran United skipper, Ferguson displayed an air of confidence about his side's ability to cope with the France international.

"Franck Ribery is a very talented player and we recognise that," Ferguson said. "But we have played against a lot of great players over the years.