A look at five things we expect from the 2015 Champions League final as Barcelona and Juventus prepare for the final game of the club season this weekend…
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1) Buffon to frustrate Barcelona’s attack
The Italian legend is still probably the best goalkeeper in the world today and will give Barcelona’s amazing Messi Suarez Neymar (MSN) attack more of a hard time than they’re used to. Although Barca are known for being excellent at creating chances and carving teams open, they could come up against a resilient Buffon here and may endure a long wait if they are to eventually find the breakthrough in Berlin.
2) …but Messi will still score
He likes scoring in Champions League finals; he likes scoring in general, so it’s hard to see Lionel Messi not making his mark on this game after the amazing season he’s juat had. The Argentine has looked back to his very best under new manager Luis Enrique and will be desperate to get his hand on that big trophy once again after frustration for his country in last summer’s World Cup final defeat to Germany.
3) Barcelona to dominate the midfield
Juventus do have an excellent set of midfielders in the form of Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo. Still, it must be said that their strength is in getting on the ball and attacking more than it is defending, which they will surely be required to do much more of considering their opposition in this game. Barcelona know how to frustrate opponents and play keep-ball, with the likes of Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Xavi if he plays all masters of this art. These players will need to be stopped, and it remains to be seen if Juve’s trio will be able to handle that responsibility.
4) Tevez to be Juventus’ main threat
Alvaro Morata may have been the main man for Juventus in their semi-final victory over Real Madrid, but it is Carlos Tevez who is surely their real hope up front in this game. The Argentine has had an excellent season in Serie A, looking back to the fine form he showed at his best at both Manchester United and Manchester City. He may not see a lot of the ball, but Tevez’s work rate means he will hound Barca’s defenders and not let them relax at any moment throughout the match.
5) Suarez to have a moment of madness
It tends to happen in the big games – will we see another crazy moment from Luis Suarez this weekend? The Uruguayan most recently bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup last summer (luckily for him, he’s missing this game through injury) in a decisive match in the group stages, following on from his bite on Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. His verbal attack on Patrice Evra also came in the huge grudge match between Liverpool and Manchester United. So far at Barca he’s been a good boy, but could this occasion bring the worst out of him again?