Picking a Barcelona and Juventus Combined XI
The UEFA Champions League group stage gets under way this week, and the draw provided some thrilling rivalries to look forward to—including in Group D, where Barcelona and Juventus will clash.
Last season's runners-up in La Liga have been a dominant force in Europe over the last decade, though a slight drop-off over the last few seasons has coincided with Juve's own resurgence; the Italians have twice reached the final in the last three years, losing to Barca in 2015 and Real Madrid at the back end of last term.
Both have squads filled with talented individuals who have lifted huge volumes of silverware between them, but which names would get the nod over their positional rivals in a combined XI? We've looked at both sets of players and picked them out in a 4-3-3, a regular formation for both teams.
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We've picked players on overall standing and pedigree in the game rather than merely current form, meaning anyone in either squad can be chosen regardless of injury or being on the bench of late.
GK: Gigi Buffon, JUV
For many, Gigi Buffon is still the top stopper in world football, and nobody would dispute his greatness over the last two decades.
The 39-year-old is still consistent, has impressive reflexes, is one of the game's great organisers of his defence and his experience is second to none.
He has seen off so many challengers, at domestic and international level, across the years that you'd simply have to back him to win another head-to-head against a first-team rival from almost any other club.
RB: Nelson Semedo, FCB
This might have been an interesting choice had Dani Alves still been at Juventus, but with the Brazilian now at Paris Saint-Germain, it's Barcelona's Nelson Semedo who is a clear choice.
A powerful runner from deep, he can exchange passes or cross on the run to great effect. He has the recovery pace that Alves himself displayed for both Juve and Barca, and he will doubtless prove to be one of the signings of the summer.
Semedo has already begun to forge an exciting alliance with those playing further ahead of him at the Camp Nou, and he should be able to replicate what the fans have grown used to seeing: the full-back occupies the entire flank, allowing a midfielder or forward to drift infield and affect play positively.
Strong defensively and impressive going forward, he's the complete modern full-back.
CB: Gerard Pique, FCB
There's a lot of competition for the centre-back spots, but Barca's Gerard Pique takes up residence on the right of centre.
Despite a few calamitous moments down the years that sometimes get highlighted, Pique has grown enormously during his time at the Camp Nou. Those errors have become less and less frequent, while his consistency, aggression and leadership have only grown.
He's one of the finest in the world in his position when on the ball, equally happy to evade a forward or pass intelligently into midfield—and he'll also happily raid forward late on in the match in an effort to force a late goal if required.
Aerially he's good, while Pique is also strong, athletic and a good reader of the game.
CB: Giorgio Chiellini, JUV
On the left of the duo, Giorgio Chiellini has long been one of the game's best, and even if his long-standing partnership with Leonardo Bonucci is now over, the 33-year-old can still lay claim to being the rock his side's success will be built on.
Chiellini is one of the hardest tacklers and best aerial defenders going, but everything he does is performed with timing, reason and pure commitment.
There aren't too many forwards who might find chances easy to come by against a pairing of Pique and Chiellini.
LB: Alex Sandro, JUV
On the left it's a question of preference, since both Jordi Alba and Alex Sandro have great pace and athleticism, are involved in a lot of buildup play and their defensive work is grounded in recovery runs and being aggressive when confronted by one-on-one situations.
We've opted for Sandro on account of perhaps better positional play and a calmer demeanour on the ball; while Alba might raid relentlessly past the opposition defensive line hoping for that diagonal pass to release him, Sandro is more adept at the middle ground link-play, coming inside to beat a man and even crossing from deep.
There's not much in it, and few teams would moan if they were handed one over the other, but Alex Sandro is maybe a little more reliable, a little less confrontational and somewhat more rounded than Alba.
DM: Sergio Busquets, FCB
There's no question on the holding midfielder, with Sergio Busquets being the gold standard for the position for most of the last eight years or so.
His reading of the game is legendary, often allowing him to step across and intercept play rather than needing to make last-ditch tackles, though he's far from shy in doing so when needed.
Busquets' passing is of the metronomic variety, but that doesn't make it simple or sideways-only: He can split pairings, break the lines and find runners with 10-yard passes to put his team on the front foot, and he is tremendously accurate with his execution.
The Barcelona man also brings the added bonus of being strong aerially and surprisingly good with his shooting—not that he gets into that position with any great regularity.
CM: Miralem Pjanic, JUV
Two No. 8s for our team, starting with Miralem Pjanic.
The Bosnian has everything you want for the first pick in midfield: great athleticism and drive, a passing range to find any team-mate on the pitch, the ability to push on with the ball himself and a killer strike from distance, including from set pieces.
Pjanic has the all-round game to bring balance to any team's midfield, but with an additional holder behind him, there's no real need for him to be as focused on his defensive work as he is for Juventus at times in a double pivot.
Release the handbrake and wreak havoc.
CM: Sami Khedira, JUV
Alongside Pjanic, we'll opt for his Juve team-mate, Sami Khedira.
The former Real Madrid man is one of the most efficient and effective box-to-box options around, being able to tackle, run with the ball, spray passes and get on the end of cut-backs in the opposition area all within the same passage of play.
There's not too much to choose between Khedira and Ivan Rakitic in technical terms, with the latter perhaps even more creative, but the German is so incredibly consistent that he'd have to be in the side.
FW: Lionel Messi, FCB
It's a nice dilemma picking attackers from two of Europe's best squads—but there's no doubting the first name to go into the XI.
Lionel Messi remains one of the world's greatest, not just of all time but right now, and the start of the new season has quickly proved that.
Dribbling, invention, acceleration into space, fierce shots from range or positional anticipation to score from close-in—you name it, Messi has it. Add in set-piece expertise, the fear his name alone brings and his relentless consistency in finding the back of the net game after game, year after year, and he's an obvious choice for everybody.
FW: Paulo Dybala, JUV
There's more debate to be had over the second supporting forward, but given the power and penetration that can come from full-back, we've opted for the scheming brilliance of Paulo Dybala over other options who can bring greater pace and dribbling.
Dybala is another who has free-kicks and incisive passes into the area in his repertoire, and the young Argentinian would be a regular conduit for buildup play in this side given his penchant for dropping deep and the ability to find passes between the lines from those in midfield.
Messi and Dybala together regularly? Argentina can make it happen eventually, but we'll get the ball rolling here.
FW: Luis Suarez, FCB
The pick is Luis Suarez over Gonzalo Higuain here.
The Uruguayan has the absolute will to win that is almost unrivalled in world football, mixing aggression with a naturally strong physique to create a torturer of defences, both on and off the ball.
His movement is non-stop, he'll cut inside or out or simply shoot from range, his close-range predatory skills remain on a high level and his one-on-one dribbling at times leads to chances that seem utterly improbable.
He's an all-round forward of exquisite quality and delivers bundles of goals.
Bench
With Buffon the starter, Marc-Andre ter Stegen gets the nod in goal, naturally, as Barca's No. 1.
Samuel Umtiti is our pick at centre-back, while Stephan Lichtsteiner covers right-back since Umtiti could filter over to the left if needed.
In midfield, we've opted for Barca duo Rakitic and Andres Iniesta.
Then it's Ousmane Dembele, who just gets our nod ahead of Douglas Costa, with Higuain the final substitute for the central striker option.
