Tonight is the most-awaited night of the year in European football. The night the UEFA Champions League comes to conclusion in all its glory. The stage is all set at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, the venue for the 2006 World Cup final, for La Liga champions FC Barcelona and Serie A champions Juventus FC to lock horns for the coveted Champions League trophy, which has been and remains till date, the paragon of European supremacy. Add to that, the additional delight of the winners claiming a historic treble (Juventus and Barcelona have won the Copa Italia and Copa Del Rey respectively along with their domestic league titles) and the stakes tower up to an all-time high.
While the hot favorites FC Barcelona made their way smoothly to the final defeating the likes of Paris Saint Germain and FC Bayern Munich in the quarterfinal and semifinal with an aggregate score of 5-1 and 5-3 respectively, underdogs Juventus booked a seat in Berlin by edging past AS Monaco 1-0 in the their quarterfinal and knocking out Real Madrid CF theatrically in the semifinal with the a single goal difference.
It is widely believed (and anticipated) in football circles that Juventus FC will not be able to contain the demolition-force of Barcelona's record-smashing, attacking trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar – famously known as MSN – which has scored a total of 120 goals this season (an all-time Spanish record for most goals scored in a single season by a trio ). However, the presence of the midfield maestro- Andrea Pirlo aided by Paul Pogba, the strike-force of Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal, and the 2006 World Cup winning goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon in goal, ensures a Champions League final worthy of its billing.
Although Juventus FC have absolutely dominated Italian football recently, claiming their fourth consecutive domestic league title (Scudetto) this season, they haven't tasted much success on the European stage of late. Quite contrarily, FC Barcelona has dominated both Spanish as well as European Football and has emerged as the most successful football club in Europe over the past decade – claiming 7 La Liga titles and 3 Champions League trophies.
Ordinarily, it is argued that Juventus stand little chance against the in-form and well-established FC Barcelona team. And why not! On paper and through statistics, FC Barcelona have proved themselves to be the best team in Europe in 2015 so far. But the pressure of a Champions League final, the tension of the situation, the individual passion of every player and the expectations of the supporters leaves everything uncertain.
Will the Juventus defense be able to control and tame the deadliest trio of MSN? Will Buffon cement his legacy by successfully repelling all attacks on the Juventus' goal? Will Andrea Pirlo produce a moment of magic? Will Carlos Tevez be able to be ''The Argentine" for one night overshadowing Messi or will Paul Pogba shine at the most important night (so far) in his career?
In any scenario, with the standard and quality of the teams and the value of what they are set to fight for, hopefully a Champions League classic is what awaits us tonight.
Champions League Final Facts:
Venue and time: Olympiastadion, Berlin, 11:45 PM PST
· First ever final in the history of the UEFA Champions League to be staged in Berlin.
· It is Xavi’s final game for FC Barcelona.
· Juventus are one of the three Italian clubs to have won the European competition. The other two being Inter Milan and AC Milan.
· FC Barcelona are one of the two Spanish teams to have won the competition. The other one being the most prolific winner of the competition with ten titles, Real Madrid.
· Juventus played the last Champions League final in 2002-03 and lost to AC Milan.
· Juventus won their last Champions League title in 1995-96.
· Buffon is the only Juventus player from the 2003 team.
· FC Barcelona last won the title in 2010-11 defeating Manchester United.
· FC Barcelona have retained eight players from their last Champions League final in 2010-11.
· Andrea Pirlo was a part of the Milan team in 2003 that defeated Juventus. If Juventus win the final, he will have a Champions League medal for and against the same team.
· A goal for Lionel Messi will make him the first player to score in three CL finals. He has previously scored in the 2009 and 2011 finals.
· A goal for Messi will also make him the highest scorer of all time in the competition. Presently, he is level with Cristiano Ronaldo.
· Both the managers, Massimiliano Allegri of Juventus and Luis Enrique of Barcelona, are pursuing the title in the first year of their jobs at the two competing clubs.
In event of success, FC Barcelona will become the first club to complete the treble twice. They completed their first treble in 2009.