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At the age of 67, Sir Alex Ferguson knows that he does not have too many more years in which to make history and the most decorated manager in the English game has urged his Manchester United players to seize the moment at the Stadio Olimpico this evening.

Ferguson has spent much of this season praising his squad as the best he has assembled in 23 years at the club, but he conceded that they must beat Barcelona in the Champions League final to be remembered as a truly great team.

It has long been a source of frustration to the Scot that United have not won more European Cups, but they have the opportunity to move alongside Ajax and Bayern Munich in the history books with four triumphs and become the first team to retain the trophy since the Champions League format was introduced in 1992-93.

The Scot senses that this latest side, boasting an almost perfect blend of youth and experience, are capable of achieving far more, however, and in the match programme even talks of the possibility of emulating Real Madrid’s haul of nine European titles.

“In terms of the pantheon you have to win the European Cup, that’s an absolute prerequisite, if you ask me,” Ferguson said. “No matter how unlucky you are in life, the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United have to win the European Cup to be considered great teams.

“It’s unusual that no one’s [retained] it since the Champions League started, because if you look back at the history of the European Cup in the 1960s and 1970s it was quite common. There were several threes-in-a-row with the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Ajax. We’ve never done it and it’s never been done. We’re good at doing things for the first time and it’s a good opportunity for us.”

The suspended Darren Fletcher apart, Ferguson has a full-strength squad to select from after Rio Ferdinand recovered from a calf injury to regain his place in defence. But Pep Guardiola, the Barcelona coach, is still concerned about the fitness of Andrés Iniesta and Thierry Henry, two of his most potent attacking weapons, who have thigh and knee injuries respectively. Both trained last night and are likely to be risked.

Fate may also be on United’s side — yesterday would have been Sir Matt Busby’s 100th birthday and United won their first European Cup of the modern era on the 90th anniversary of Busby’s birth, against Bayern in 1999. Ferguson, though, is not convinced that destiny will have a role to play in what promises to be a monumental clash. “I had a feeling that night in Barcelona [against Bayern] that there was fate attached to it,” Ferguson said. “It does happen, but the type of game tomorrow may be beyond that. The game has a capability of being a fantastic final and hopefully we’ll play our part in that.”

Carlos Tévez, whose lease deal at United expires next month, will again have to try to influence matters from the substitutes’ bench, but the Argentina striker received fresh hope yesterday that it may not be his last appearance after David Gill, the chief executive, revealed that talks would reopen with Tévez’s advisers after the final over the fee to make the arrangement permanent. “It is in everyone’s interests to be resolved and I think it will be pretty quickly,” Gill said.