Champions League Final: 5 Things You Need To Know
By Ty Duffy
Barcelona meets Juventus in the 2015 Champions League Final. The match kicks off at 2:45 on FOX. If you’re just wandering in for this match, here are the major storylines.
Best Team Ever? Barcelona could win the treble, after winning the league and the Copa del Rey. But, this is more about what they’ve done the past decade. Since the 2005-06 season, Barcelona have won six league titles and three domestic cups. Beating Juventus would give them their fourth Champions League trophy over the span. Not sure how that should stack this era Barcelona with 1950s/60s Real Madrid, 1960s/70s Bayern Munich, 1970s/80s Liverpool or 1980s/90s AC Milan, but it’s a discussion folks will be having.
Juventus is Back: Juventus was among the world’s best clubs in 2006. They were coming off back-to-back Serie A titles. Eight Juve players, five for Italy and three for France, appeared in the 2006 World Cup Final. Then, the Calcipoli match-fixing scandal hit. Juventus received the worst punishments of the five-clubs involved. Two titles were stripped and they were relegated to Serie B. Juventus has been back for a while, winning four-straight scudetti. But, reaching the Champions League final is a sign the Old Lady is back. Should Juventus win they will be BACK.
Three-Headed Monster: Barcelona had Messi and Neymar. They then made the slight upgrade from Alexis Sanchez to Luis Suarez. It’s worked out okay. Messi has 60 goals and 28 assists in 58 starts this season. That’s a production rate of 1.52 goals per game. Neymar, coming off a World Cup injury, managed a paltry 42 goals and 7 assists in 49 starts. Suarez, season shortened by suspension, put up 25 goals and 23 assists in 43 starts. Two of the three were among our Top 10 players in the world. Neymar just missed out.
Summer Moves: Petrogarchs and TV revenue have left Serie A behind. This Juventus team should face significant departures this summer, particularly in midfield. Paul Pogba is set for a record move to Real Madrid/Barcelona/PSG/Manchester City/Manchester United/Chelsea. Strong rumors suggest stalwart Chilean Arturo Vidal is on his way to Arenal. Majestic 36-year-old Andrea Pirlo will make a brief stop at NYCFC, before becoming a full-time vintner.
Everybody Hates Luis: This match will raise two of Luis Suarez’ infamous past incidents. Giorgio Chiellini, the Italian player Suarez bit at the World Cup, plays for Juventus but will miss the match due to injury, so does Patrice Evra, the Manchester United player Suarez racially abused.