Barcelona vs. Juventus: Complete A-Z of the 2015 Champions League Final
Here we go, then.
Juventus face Barcelona in the Champions League final on Saturday at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, which will hope to bear witness to a classic end to the European club football season between the Italian and the Spanish champions.
By now, you'll have read all the match previews and tactical analyses, so how about breaking down the final into a simple A to Z?
Luckily enough, you've come to the right place.
A Is for Allegri
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We kick off with the Juventus manager Massimiliano "Max" Allegri, who was hardly a universally popular choice among Juventus supporters when he succeeded Antonio Conte last summer following his failings with AC Milan.
What has followed has been a fourth consecutive Scudetto, Juventus's first Coppa Italia triumph for 20 years and a place in the Champions League final—Juve's first for 12 years.
Not bad for a manager who took Milan down to 11th in Serie A before his dismissal in January 2014.
B Is for Berlin
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We're off to the German capital for the final, with Berlin's Olympiastadion the focus of the eyes of the football world for the first time since the 2006 World Cup.
Back then, it hosted six matches, including the quarter-final between Germany and Argentina, in which Lionel Messi remarkably didn't even get off the bench, and the final that saw Italy beat France on spot-kicks as Zinedine Zidane's headbutt shocked the world.
Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo—Juve team-mates here—were in that victorious Italy side. A good omen for them?
C Is for Chiellini
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The key figure in Juve's attempts to stop Barcelona's staggeringly impressive front three will be centre-back Giorgio Chiellini, an unflappable customer who has already had his run-ins with Luis Suarez.
A winner of 76 caps and counting for Italy, Chiellini was brilliant in both legs of the semi-final against Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid, but you sense he'll have to be even better against Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar, as Barca's brilliant forward trio will attack the Old Lady from all angles.
Chiellini will have to put his body on the line, but he's used to doing that.
D Is for Debut Season
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There was a time early in his debut season as Barcelona manager that former club midfielder Luis Enrique looked to be somewhat doomed, with the pressure mounting up on him because of some disappointing performances and little sign that he had improved on the side left behind by Tata Martino.
That has all changed, though, and as Enrique stands on the verge of completing a historic treble, it is very easy to overlook the fact the other trophies he has gained in the past few weeks are his first of any kind as a top-flight manager.
It's not a bad way to start.
E Is for 8th Final
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The match represents an eighth European Cup/Champions League final for both Barcelona and Juventus—two clubs whose place among European royalty has long been secured.
Barca boast the better record in their previous seven finals, winning four of them in 1992, 2006, 2009 and 2011, losing in 1961, 1986 and 1994.
Juventus have won two of their finals, in 1985 and 1996, while losing five, most recently in 2003. They would achieve the unwanted record of becoming the first club to lose the final six times if they suffer defeat in Berlin—Bayern Munich and Benfica are also on five.
F Is for 14 Years
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That's how long Gianluigi Buffon has been at Juventus for without winning the Champions League, coming closest in 2003 when Juve lost to AC Milan on penalties following a grim goalless draw at Old Trafford.
Buffon—who is still the world's most expensive goalkeeper as a result of his 2001 move to Juve from Parma—must have feared his chances of becoming a European champion were fading fast, but at 37 years old, he'll be eager to prove his quality against Barca's star-studded attack and lift the trophy as captain of his team.
G Is for Glorious Beard
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You knew it was coming, and Andrea Pirlo's glorious beard is next on our list, with all eyes set to turn to the Italian maestro's facial fuzz in Berlin on Saturday night.
Pirlo's poise has been one of the key factors behind Juve's progression to the final, and they'll need him at his best against Barca's Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic, who will seek to overrun their midfield opponents and attempt to pin them back their own half.
Pirlo thrives when he can find time and space on the ball, and Barca need to make sure he has little of both.
H Is for Heysel
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This final will take place just over a week on from the 30th anniversary of Juventus' darkest hour—the 1985 European Cup final against Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, where rioting led to the deaths of 39 supporters, mostly Italians.
Both clubs have paid their respects to the fallen in recent weeks, and hopefully the memories of those who died can be honoured with a terrific match from which everyone returns home safely.
I Is for Iconic Kits
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The good news for the traditionalists is that both clubs will take to the field in Berlin sporting their iconic strips—colours for which they have become renowned across the world.
Barca's dark blue and red and Juve's black-and-white stripes are the symbols of two clubs fiercely proud of their respective histories and identities, so it is fitting that both will be seen across the globe on what is undoubtedly the biggest night on the club football calendar.
Since 2001, only one team has won the Champions League final sporting their away colours—Milan in 2007—a record that will be extended here.
J Is for Jesse Owens
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Whatever happens in Berlin on Saturday night, though, it will be unable to match the greatest piece of sporting heroism that ever unfolded at the Olympiastadion.
At the 1936 Summer Olympics, opened by Adolf Hitler, African-American athlete Jesse Owens clinched gold medals in the 100 metres, 200 metres, long jump and the 4x100 metre relay—defying Hitler's dream of promoting the Aryan race as the fittest and strongest in the world.
The image of Owens winning so impressively against the backdrop of Nazi evil is one of the most striking of the 1930s and remains an example of how sport can make an impact on the world.
K Is for Keeping the Trophy
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A win for Barcelona means they'd become one of only five clubs to have won the European Cup five or more times—with their fifth success moving them level with Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the all-time list, behind only AC Milan (seven) and Real Madrid (10).
Winning the trophy five times (or three in a row) means you get to keep it, so for the third time in a decade, UEFA would have to produce a new version of the iconic cup after Bayern's most recent success in 2013 and Liverpool's in 2005.
L Is for Leo
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Whatever the tactics, whatever the formations and whatever the approaches of both sides are in Berlin, we all know that this clash could be decided by the genius of one man.
As he showed in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao, Lionel Messi can light up any stage at any time, and in his first Champions League final for four years, he'll be eager to stamp his authority and genius over the game and the occasion—especially after a disappointing World Cup final last year.
Messi's game has seemingly reached new levels in 2015, and this could end up being his finest hour.
M Is for Morata
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He didn't want to celebrate his knocking former club Real Madrid out of the semi-finals with crucial goals in both legs, but Juventus forward Alvaro Morata will be dancing a jig of delight if he bags the goal that wins this trophy for his new team at his old rivals' expense.
Morata replaced Karim Benzema in the 79th minute of last year's final victory over Atletico Madrid and was on the pitch for Real's extra-time victory. If Juve triumph, he'll become only the fourth player to win the Champions League in successive seasons with different clubs.
The others? Marcel Desailly (Marseille in 1993 and Milan in 1994), Paulo Sousa (Juventus in 1996 and Borussia Dortmund in 1997) and Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona in 2009 and Inter Milan in 2010).
N Is for Neymar
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Neymar has scored 38 goals this season. I'll just leave that stat there for a second so you can take it in.
The Brazilian's staggering goalscoring record has become somewhat lost amid the genius of Lionel Messi and the impact made by Luis Suarez in his first season at the Nou Camp, but Neymar netted in both the first and second legs of the quarter-final victory over Paris Saint-Germain and the semi-final win against Bayern Munich—scoring six goals over the four games.
He's in such fine scoring form that there's an argument he should be the favourite to find the net in Berlin—quite a compliment, given the level of talent on show.
O Is for on the Spot
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Penalties have been awarded in each of the last three Champions League finals—scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in extra time in 2014, Borussia Dortmund's Ilkay Gundogan in the second half in 2013 and missed by Arjen Robben for Bayern Munich against Chelsea in extra time three years ago.
That Bayern-Chelsea final was the last one to go to a penalty shootout and the fifth to do so this century. One way or another, are we destined to see this final decided from the spot?
P Is for Pogba
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The apple of many an eye across Europe, whether this is Paul Pogba's final match for Juventus before a mega-money move remains to be seen, but there is little doubt that the young Frenchman is every inch the modern midfield player and one of the top talents in the game right now.
Against Barca's impressive midfield trio of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta, he'll be required to be the heart and lungs of the Juventus side and ensure that his team doesn't get overrun in the centre. He's got more than enough qualities to ensure that doesn't happen.
Q Is for Quota
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As reported by the Daily Mail in April, there is a strong reason for Premier League clubs to be supporting Barcelona in Berlin.
As the English sides continue to disappoint in the Champions League, a Juventus victory would significantly improve Serie A's coefficient ranking and put the Premier League's four Champions League places in danger, with the Italian top division currently only having three and its teams making a strong case to nick England's fourth.
R Is for Rome, 1996
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Rome was the setting of Juventus's most recent Champions League victory—the penalty shootout success over Louis van Gaal's Ajax in 1996.
Fabrizio Ravanelli and Jari Litmanen traded goals in the first half, before Marcello Lippi's side emerged victorious at the Stadio Olimpico after goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi saved penalties from Edgar Davids and Sonny Silooy, with Vladimir Jugovic netting the winner for Juve.
S Is for Suarez
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After his well-publicised troubles of the past year, is the stage set for Luis Suarez to fulfil a destiny and lift the Champions League trophy?
The Uruguayan has been is sensational form since the beginning of his final season at Liverpool, with his move to Catalonia taking his game up even more notches, as he has become a more well-rounded player dovetailing with Lionel Messi and Neymar.
He is one of the world's most watchable footballers, and after overcoming an injury to play for 78 minutes of the Copa del Rey final, he should be fit and firing in Berlin.
T Is for Tevez
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Having seemingly slimmed down since his days in England with West Ham United, Manchester United and Manchester City, Carlos Tevez has been in the form of his life this season. His 29 goals have fired Juventus to Serie A and Italian Cup glory, as well as this Champions League final.
Tevez has never scored more goals in a single season since his days at Corinthians a decade ago, and a strike in Berlin would go a long way toward confirming what many already know: Tevez is one of the very best forwards in the world game right now.
U Is for Unwelcome Memories
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Turkey's Cuneyt Cakir will referee the game in Berlin, and Barcelona don't have the fondest memories of the 38-year-old.
It was Cakir who sent off John Terry in the Nou Camp in Chelsea's famous Champions League semi-final clash there in 2012. Despite the red card for the Blues skipper, the Premier League side managed to cling on and ultimately sealed a place in the final when Fernando Torres memorably broke away to seal a 3-2 aggregate win in the closing stages.
V Is for Vidal
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One of the best all-action midfield players in the modern game, Arturo Vidal has tasted Serie A success in each of the four seasons that he's been a Juventus player.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man will now be eyeing Champions League glory, and he could well be the player to make the difference in Berlin despite a disappointing season in front of goal, which has seen him score eight times—10 fewer than he managed in 2013/14.
W Is for Winning the Treble
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It's not just Champions League glory on the line in Berlin, but also treble success for both clubs.
Barcelona achieved the first treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League in Pep Guardiola's first season at the club in 2008/09. In Italy, the treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League has only ever been done once—by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan in 2009/10.
Barca won the Liga title by two points from Real Madrid and beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in the Copa del Rey final, while Juventus won Serie A by a massive 14 points and beat Lazio 2-1 after extra time in the Coppa Italia final.
X Is for Xavi
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Xavi will be bringing the curtain down on a staggeringly successful Barcelona career in Berlin, where the Catalan side's captain could clinch his fourth Champions League crown.
He's likely to start on the bench, but if he's involved, it'll be his 767th and final appearance for the club before a move to Qatar. There are sure to be some tears if he's called upon to lift the trophy at the end of the game, something that he's been able to do twice in his last two games.
Y Is for Yet Another Record
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We're back on Messi for this one—this time for the possibility of his doing something he was seemingly born to do: break another record.
If the Argentinian maestro finds the net in Berlin, he will become the first man to score in three different Champions League finals, following on from his strikes in Barca's victories over Manchester United in 2009 and 2011.
Let's be honest, there would be few more fitting men to do it.
Z Is for Zalayeta
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"Remember Marcelo Zalayeta" will be the message from the Juventus players to one another before the final—and with good reason.
The Uruguayan forward was the difference between the teams the last time they met in the Champions League—the quarter-finals of the 2002/03 campaign.
Goals from Paolo Montero and Javier Saviola meant a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Turin. After Pavel Nedved and Xavi had shared strikes in the return leg at the Nou Camp to take the match to extra time, up popped substitute Zalayeta six minutes from the end to seal Juve's win and help them continue on their route to that year's final at Old Trafford, where they lost to AC Milan.
