The Italian Stallions versus the Spanish Armada. This epic encounter is set to take place in Berlin at the Olympiastadion and it promises to be a cracking encounter. I'm sure like myself and many other football fans and supporters around the world would have been eagerly waiting for this grand occasion.
Out of these two teams Juventus had to fight their way to claim a spot in the final as opposed to Barcelona who did the damage against Bayern in the first leg at the Nou Camp with a sublime Messi performance. Juventus on the other hand had a slim advantage at their home winning the first leg via a Tevez penalty in the second half with Madrid also scoring a crucial away goal to take back to the Bernabeu. The star performer in both the semi-final legs was Morata who was released by Ancelotti deeming he does not see Morata playing for Madrid was sold to the Old lady last year and he silenced not only his critics but also Ancelotti by showing him and the rest that it was a mistake to let him go. A goal in both the ties from Morata was enough to see Juventus march on to the finals.
Barcelona, one could assume that they cruised there way into the finals with a strong performance against Pep's Bayern. No love was lost between Barcelona and Former Barca coach Pep. With all the tactics and changes Pep would have made for this game it seemed useless. The game looked like it was heading into a goalless draw with the German outfit surprisingly doing better than the Spanish side in passes and possession and also a great chance wasted by Munich striker Lewandowski in the first half which could have made a difference in the tie. But the last fifteen minutes from Barcelona mainly Messi rolled backed the years with the Argentinian putting in a vintage classic display to shatter the German's hopes. With Bayern Munich knowing that they have an uphill task to face they got off to a bright start with a Benatia goal but two quick-fire goals from Neymar set the Germans back and eventually it was a little too much for Munich to do anything about it.
The biggest piece of news building up to this fixture was the Injury of Chiellini who sustained a calf injury and would not recover in time for the finals, a major set-back for the Italian side. Chiellini has been not only instrumental but also a major influence for the team to play well not only in this competition but also in the league. If fans and supporters where looking forward to an interesting show-down between Chiellini and Suarez it definitely wont be happening. The most likely replacement to Chiellini would be the Italian Barzagli who is also doubtful to start the game with the defender carrying a thigh injury but mentioned in the 22 man squad. Also for Barcelona supporters it would be an emotional game for them as their legend Xavi is all set to end his 17 year relationship with the Catalan side playing his last game for them in the final. Also let's not forget the Evra and Suarez incident in the Premier League a few years back, that could be re-ignited in this fixture.
The Players to watch out for:
Juventus: Tevez, Pirlo , Buffon, Pogba , Evra and Marchisio
Barcelona: Messi, Suarez , Neymar , Iniesta , Xavi and Rakitic
Injuries for Both sides:
Juventus: Chiellini (calf), Cáceres (ankle), Asamoah* (knee), Rômulo* (thigh) Doubtful: Barzagli
Barcelona: None-Luis Enrique has a full fit squad to work around with
Probable Line ups:
Juventus: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Barzagli, Evra; Marchisio, Pirlo, Pogba; Vidal; Tévez, Morata
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitić, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar
The referee for the final is: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
These two sides have met 6 times in this competition with Both teams winning two times and both drawing once. Many punters and supporters will be tagging Juventus as the underdogs but the Italian side to me are clearly not underdogs and can challenge Barcelona in all positions in the field and give them a run for their money. It's been twelve years since Juventus last reached the final and sadly lost to rivals AC Milan, this time around they will looking to win the elusive trophy and bragging rights as the best team in Europe.
Barcelona have won this competition four times and Juventus only twice. Both these side have won their domestic league and cup this season and either side would be looking to complete the treble.
I put my money on Juventus as they have fought their way and silenced their critics and also never gave up in any match. I don't see this game being a one sided fixture it's going to down to the wire most likely would take some individual brilliance or a resilient team display to separate the winner and the loser.
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