Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has hailed Manchester United as "extraordinary" after Alex Ferguson's side all but secured the English Premier League title with a 2-1 victory over nearest challengers Chelsea on Sunday.

Guardiola, whose Barca side will face United in the Champions League final at Wembley on May 28, told reporters: "They have a great team, extraordinary players."

Guardiola, who was at Old Trafford to see United beat German side Schalke 4-1 in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal last week, added: "They played a Champions League semifinal with a team full of reserves and they won 4-1 — that says everything you need to know about the quality they have."

Following Sunday's victory over Chelsea, United now need just one point from their remaining two games against Blackburn and Blackpool to claim the Premier League title and overtake Liverpool's overall record of 18 league wins, a figure they currently share with their north-west rivals.

Meanwhile, Guardiola, said his attention is primarily focused on his side claiming the Spanish La Liga title at Levante on Wednesday, ahead of their meeting with United later this month.

And Barca midfielder Xavi Hernandez added: "We're almost there and we want to win it as soon as possible so we can have our heads focused on Wembley."

Captain Carles Puyol, who has been out of action for several weeks with a knee injury, is expected to be fit enough to face United at Wembley.

"He was out for three months and the doctors decided he wasn't in shape to play, but he is building up his fitness and will feature more in the next few games," Guardiola added.

Barcelona inched towards claiming a third consecutive title after beating city rivals Espanyol 2-0 at the Nou Camp on Sunday, with goals from Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique.

Source: CNN