United can win Champions League, says Inter captain

Manchester United are capable of beating Barcelona to win the Champions League, according to Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti.

The Argentine lifted the trophy last season after his side, under Jose Mourinho, dethroned the then reigning champions Barca in the semi-finals.

Barcelona beat United in the 2009 final in Rome, thus deposing the English champions who had beaten Chelsea in Moscow the year before.

"I think the Manchester side of this year could take revenge for the Champions League final lost in Rome," he told reporters.

"But it's not an easy task given that Barcelona are certainly the team that plays the best football in the world."

Turning his attentions to his own team, Zanetti insisted this season has not been a complete write-off.

Last year Inter won an unprecedented treble in Italian football but their Champions League defence came to and at the quarter-final stage in a humiliating 7-3 aggregate defeat to Schalke 04, themselves thrashed 6-1 by United in the semis.

And Inter's fierce city rivals AC Milan only need one more point from their final three games to wrestle the Serie A title from the nerazzurri's grasp.

It leaves only the Italian Cup left for Inter but Zanetti says even failing to win that wouldn't be a disaster.

"Even without this trophy, which has become more important over the last few years, our season wouldn't be a complete write-off," he said.

"I'm happy to remember that we're world champions and we won the Italian Supercup.

"But in any case we'll do the impossible to reach the final and then to win it.

"Not least because it would have a special taste as it would allow us to play for the 2011 Supercup in a derby against Milan."

Inter lead Roma 1-0 from their semi-final first leg and play the second leg at the San Siro next week.

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