Barcelona are billed by many as favourites to lift a fifth European Cup on Saturday as they take on Juventus in the final in Berlin, the venue where Italy were crowned world champions in 2006.
Although Barcelona may look stronger on paper, the Italian champions are determined to clinch a third title in the elite European tournament – the first since beating Ajax 4-2 on penalties in 1996.
For both sides this will be their eighth European Cup final appearance, with Juventus having finished runners-up on five occasions – vs Ajax 0-1 in 1973, vs Hamburg 0-1 in 1983, vs Borussia Dortmund 1-3 in 1997, vs Real Madrid 0-1 in 1998 and vs Milan 2-3 on penalties in 2003.
Perhaps, a Juve success this weekend would be the perfect way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Heysel tragedy which had preceded the side’s 1-0 win over Liverpool in the 1985 final.
Juventus and Barcelona are both on course to complete a treble this season.
Whereas the Catalans have already achieved the remarkable feat in season 2008/09 with Pep Guardiola as coach, Juventus are relishing the chance of emulating Jose Mourinho’s Inter in 2009/10 to win the scudetto, Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League in the same season.
For the record, the five other European sides to have completed the treble are Celtic in 1966/67, Ajax in 1971/72, PSV Eindhoven in 1987/88, Manchester United in 1998/99 and Bayern Munich two years ago.
Barca will be the third Spanish opponents for Juventus in this season’s tournament.
In the group stages, 2014 runners-up Atletico Madrid overcame Juventus 1-0 at the Vicente Calderon Stadium before a goalless draw in Turin ensured both sides progressed from Group A.
In the semi-finals, the ‘Old Lady’ ousted cup holders Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate.
One thing is for sure though, Barcelona are the toughest of the three and Juventus need to be on top of their game to defy the odds on Saturday.
Barcelona have been firing on all cylinders since the start of the second half of this season.
Luis Enrique has a highly experienced squad at his disposal and the former Roma coach can still count on eight members of the Barcelona team that outclassed Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.
Also, in Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, popularly known as Barca’s ‘MSN, the 23-times La Liga winners have a formidable attacking trio that can unlock any defence they face.
Last weekend, Messi struck twice and Neymar once in Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in the King’s Cup final.
Trio’s record
The goals enabled Barca’s attacking trio to bring their season’s combined tally to 120 goals in all competitions, thus setting a Spanish record for the highest number of goals scored by the same three team-mates in a single campaign.
Also, if Messi finds the back of the net against Juventus, he will become the first player ever to score in three Champions League finals, after punishing Manchester United in the 2009 and 2011 showdowns.
Juventus, though, will be no pushovers.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side are undefeated in their last nine Champions League outings, keeping five clean sheets in the process.
They were off to a stuttering start in the competition, suffering two identical 0-1 defeats to Atletico Madrid and Olympiakos in their opening three games.
That poor start somewhat vindicated Antonio Conte’s decision to quit Juventus in view of the club’s meagre efforts on the transfer market in a bid to bridge the gap with Europe’s elite clubs.
But after beating Olympiakos early in November, Juventus never looked back as they grew in stature until beating Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in the semi-finals to reach their first European Cup final in 12 years.
Juve’s march to Berlin is very similar to the way Inter had reached the 2010 Champions League final.
The Nerazzurri were off to an unimpressive start in the group stages and seriously risked being knocked out at an early stage.
But when the competition entered its knock-out stages Inter were a different team as they eliminated Chelsea, CSKA Moscow and Barcelona in succession before ending their 45-year wait to lift the trophy by beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in Madrid.
Strangely, my crystal ball is showing a similar outcome on Saturday to the final of 2010.