Hi guys, it’s been a long minute. The Champions League wraps up today with 2 of the best teams (Juventus Versus Barcelona) of this season’s competition coming up against each other in the final holding in Berlin, Germany.
I am no Barcelona fan but I must confess (like I always do) their style of play is one I admire very much and whenever I get to watch them play I am never disappointed. Its safe to say they play the best brand of football and they hardly ever have bad days. They don’t have the best defence in the World but who cares about defending when you have Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez playing upfront for you? These 3 players have scored 120 goals amongst themselves in all competitions and that’s way more more than what a lot of teams in Europe’s Top 5 leagues have scored. Do I have to say more about the tremendous 3 or MSN (Messi, Suarez and Neymar) as they are now called? I digress. This Barcelona team have been amongst the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League (UCL) since 2008 and their domestic dominance though I hate to admit ever since showed they always deserved the favourite tag. Barca won the 2014/2015 league title ahead of perennial rivals Real Madrid and also picked up the Copa Del Rey trophy beating Atletic Bilbao in the final. They have won the Champions four times already (1992, 2006, 2009 and 2011) and Juventus stand between their chance of a fifth trophy.
Juventus on the other hand, have no fantastic aura around their game play but have managed to be the dominant team in Italy for four straight years (2011 – 2015). They hardly buy big and I must say they have just started adding finesse to their game with players like Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, Carlos Tevez and one of the best Italian players ever Andre Pirlo in the recent set up. Juve cannot be compared to Barcelona in terms of flair but they stand a chance and beating last season’s winners enroute to the final makes them strong contenders. The Old Lady of Turin as Juventus is known also added the 2015 Coppa Italia to their cabinet. With just 2 Champions League trophies (1985 and 1996) won, it shows that Barca have more of an edge. Juventus was last in a UCL 12 years ago (2003) and it was just before the final against their Italian rivals A.C Milan at my beloved Man Utd’s home ground of Old Trafford I fell in love with them, thanks to Pavel Nedved and Edgar Davids (two fighters on the pitch).
Barcelona might have the best team on paper but Juventus would be no push overs and if you ask me I will tell you without stuttering that Juventus would be crowned Champions at the end of the day. Yea I am usually with the underdogs except if the underdog plays against MANCHESTER UNITED. Juventus have arguably the best goalkeeper (Buffon) of the last decade in their corner and a better defence (Though Giorgio Chiellini has been ruled out of this game) than Barca but like I stated earlier Barcelona doesn’t need a stellar performance from their defence to win a game, the MSN with the support cast of Iniesta, Busquets and Rakitic will open up any locked defense on their day.
Its going to be a long night for Juve’s defenders but I trust them to pull through, a lot of people won’t agree with me but I know it’s going to be the Old Lady’s night. Both teams are chasing a treble having won their domestic league and cup trophies which makes the contest more interesting.
Players to Watch Out For (Barcelona)
- Andreas Iniesta (My favourite Barca player)
- Lionel Messi
- Luis Suarez
- Neymar
- Ivan Rakitic
- Javier Mascherano
Players to Watch Out For (Juventus)
- Gianluigi Buffon
- Paul Pogba
- Andre Pirlo (Gets better like fine wine)
- Carlos Tevez
- Arturo Vidal
- Claudio Marchiso
My Prediction
Like I said before, I fancy Juventus for this and it would be a slim margin. 1-0 maybe 2-1 in favour of Juventus.
Conclusion
Italy won the World Cup of 2006 hosted by Germany at the Berlin Stadium, its at this same Berlin Stadium this final would be holding and that’s has informed my decision to swing Juventus’ way. Only time can tell how the clock ticks. I am going to be watching this game with my people from the Naija Pundits group (The Best Chat Group Ever) just after sweating it out on a football pitch ourselves. A post should come up afterwards.
Thanks for your time people and please don’t forget to share , drop your comments and even your predictions. Stay Blessed guys and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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