Two of Europe’s powerhouses are set to go head to head on
Saturday in Uefa Champions League final to determine the rulers of
Europe for 2015.
Barcelona will look to reclaim the title for the first
time since 2011 while Juventus will be contesting its first final in
over a decade.
Barcelona returned to brilliant form under Luis Enrique
this season, with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez strike force seen
as the most deadly in the world.
Barcelona are seen as the clear-cut favorite, with a
latter piece looking at the flipside. The question is: how can Juventus
stop the potent and deadly Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi attack
of Barcelona?
There can be no doubt that Barcelona’s trio of players is
indisputably the best attack in the world. Neymar, Luis Suarez and
Lionel Messi are not only lethal finishers but extremely intelligent
players capable of making jaw-dropping players at a moment’s notice.
Just watch the tic-tac-toe precision of the first Barcelona goal against
Bayern Munich. Messi found Suarez behind the defense and then Uruguay
pinned a pass onto the path of Neymar for an easy tap-in.
This trio combined has 78 goals in Spain and 25 in the
Champions League. Messi of course is having a stellar form with 53 goals
and 27 assists, his finest year since 2012-13 when he grabbed 60 goals
and 16 assists.
Suarez has found life at Barcelona quite good for himself
with 24 goals and 17 assists in the two major competitions while Neymar
is enjoying a historic year with 38 goals and six assists.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique struggled a bit at the half
of the season, but there can be no doubt that he has figured out how to
maximize his star-laden club. He has them playing a more direct
tiki-taka style that speeds up the tempo of the game and forces
opposition into quicker and more uncomfortable decisions.
And when his side doesn’t have the ball, he knows how to
get them to play a massive counter attack game. It was on full display
against Bayern Munich in both encounters and helped the club get the 5-3
aggregate win.
Barca defense showed some flaws against Bayern Munich, but
for the most part this Spanish giant has conceded fewer goals this
season. Just 21 goals have been scored on Barcelona in the Spanish
League.
The team also went through three major champions on its
way to the final, only conceded a grand total of five goals in six of
those games.
More also, Barca have depth on the defense with Jeremy
Mathieu, Marc Bartra and even Martin Montoya waiting to fill in for any
of the team’s top defenders.
Juventus relies on playing with the ball at its feet but
might struggle against a Barca side that has maintained possession of
sixty percent of the time in this tournament. Barca is by far the
superior side at keeping the ball, and that alone will make Juventus
suffer.
The Italian side can hit well on the counter, but it does not have the speed of Barcelona’s side to make them pay sufficiently.
The La liga champions averages more shots on target more than Juve and also concedes fewer shots per game as well.
Many players on this Barcelona outfit have won this
trophy. The same cannot be said of Juventus team. Barcelona’s players
know what the pressure is like and should be able to harness it to their
advantage.
The Champions League final expects to be a culmination of a
trophy-laden season for both sides. Both Barcelona and Juventus are in
line to claim the European treble with the Champions League trophy
featuring as the center piece of an historic season.
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