Champions League failure is not an option for Barcelona as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez bid to cut Juventus down

Barcelona play Juventus in the Champions League final on Saturday night
Juventus face the bigger challenge overcoming an in form Barcelona side
Barca are again showing themselves to be the best club side in the world
But if that view is to be cemented, failure in Berlin is not an option

Published:
21:31 GMT, 5 June 2015

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Updated:
01:35 GMT, 6 June 2015

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They arrived in the broiling heat of Berlin on Friday with different motivations. Juventus came with the memories of Heysel and its victims in their hearts, Barcelona driven by a desire to prove that the quiet evolution of recent months has not taken anything from their unique genius.

Ultimately, though, the quest is the same as it has always been before this grand occasion. When you get here, when you stand on the doorstep, it is about finding one last performance to get you through the door.

On the face of it, the greater challenge at Berlin’s iconic Olympiastadion belongs to the Italian champions from Turin. Their journey to Germany has been a surprising one.

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Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez share a joke as Barcelona players train ahead of the Champions League final

Messi looked in a relaxed mood as Luis Enrique’s squad were put through their paces on Friday evening

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba shows off his tricks and flicks in the glorious sunshine on Friday afternoon

Gianluigi Buffon was all smiles as he looked in relaxed mood ahead of Saturday’s European showpiece

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri addresses the press during a conference on the eve of the final

‘I must admit I thought this would take two or three years,’ said Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

For Barcelona, however, expectation always sits heavy. Having won Europe’s blue riband competition twice in three years under Pep Guardiola in 2009 and 2011, the Catalan club threatened to take ownership of the trophy until their coach decided to take a time out.

Here on Saturday, after the relatively fallow years of the late Tito Vilanova and Gerardo Martino, coach Luis Enrique has the opportunity to underline the generally accepted feeling that Barcelona — the Barca of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar — are once again the greatest club side in the world. From that point of view, failure is not an option.

‘We have an amazing team,’ said Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. ‘We have one of the best teams in the history of our club. This game is something we have been working towards all season and we are not in the mood to fail now.’

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique observes his players as they prepare for Saturday’s showdown

Buffon faces the media on Friday ahead of the Champions League final against Barcelona

Neymar laughs and jokes during training as midfielder Ivan Rakitic sees the funny side in the background

Andrea Pirlo and the rest of the Juventus squad are out through their paces at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin

Neymar and Suarez are thick as thieves as Barcelona show he pressure isn’t getting to them

FINAL BY NUMBERS

3 – A goal would see Lionel Messi become the first player to score in three Champions League finals

6 – Juventus players who have covered more ground in Europe this season than Barca’s most active player, Neymar

2 – All but two of Barca’s 28 Champions League goals have been scored from inside the box — six of Juve’s 16 strikes have been from distance

6 -Juventus have lost five European Cup/CL finals — level with Bayern Munich and Benfica — defeat tonight would set a new record

A month ago, neutrals would perhaps have hoped for a Barcelona-Real Madrid final. Seeing el clasico as a roadshow certainly would have been something. In ending that story at the semi-final stage, however, Juventus showed that they will provide Barcelona with something more than a lesson in obduracy on what promises to be a stiflingly hot evening.

In the first leg in Turin in particular, Massimiliano Allegri’s team unsettled Real with their direct and energetic counter-attacking play. Carlos Tevez, who won and scored a penalty, appeared young again while Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio provided a midfield platform that will be fundamental if Juventus are to see enough of the ball in key areas.

‘We will expect to have the ball and control possession and they will counter-attack,’ added Pique. ‘They have a lot of power up front and some good midfielders who are strong and go box to box.

Brazil international Neymar Jnr flicks the ball up with a back heel ahead of his first Champions League final

Messi, Suarez and defender Gerard Pique were having fun during Friday evening’s training session

Uruguay international Suaez keeps his eyes on the ball as he lines up a volley in the Olympic Stadium

Massimiliano Allegri talks to his squad as they prepare to stop Barcelona in Friday’s Champions League final

‘They are an Italian team but they always want to play with the ball. They showed that against Madrid and will try and do the same to us.’

Sitting alongside Pique at last night’s Barcelona press conference was the Brazilian, Neymar. His verbal offerings were nothing like as expansive as his work on the field but he did cast the trophy a covetous glance as he walked into the room.

‘This is the most important match of my life,’ he said. ‘It has been a dream since I was a child to win this cup. Leo (Messi) and Luis (Suarez) are two extraordinary players and I am just lucky to play with them and learn from them.’

Midfield maestro Pirlo shakes hands with striker Fernando Llorente as the team make their final preparations

Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal deep in conversation as the Juventus players train at the Olympic Stadium

France international Pogba and team-mate Kingsley Coman chat to one another during training

Former Manchester City star Tevez had a smile on his face during Friday’s training session

Juventus, it seems, know their place ahead of the final but, equally, the role of underdog is not one that sits particularly well with the two-time winners of the competition.

‘We know we are one step below Barcelona but this is only one game so the difference is reduced,’ said defender Leonardo Bonucci.

‘We are not here to be sacrificial lambs or victims. Juventus have always had a reputation for great players, great champions, many trophies, and that makes us aware of what we have to live up to. This is a club that wins things.’

The first time Juventus won the European Cup, of course, was in 1985. Recently the club, along with Liverpool, marked the 30-year anniversary of a match — and a disaster — at Heysel Stadium that claimed 39 lives.

Former Manchester United left back Patrice Evra, who won the tournament in 2008, trains on Friday

Former Manchester United youngster Pogba smiles as takes in the surrounding of the stadium

The Olympic Stadium looking resplendent in the Berlin sunshine is set for Saturday’s showdown

On Friday coach Allegri and his players struck the appropriate tone. ‘It is very important,’ said Allegri. ‘Thirty years ago we saw a tragedy which is going to stay with us and has gone down in the history of football. So I think for Juventus, for Italian fans and for world football, this year is a year to be remembered. Most importantly, we have to think about the families of the victims.’

On the field, Allegri will miss his defensive rock Giorgio Chiellini, absent with a calf injury. That at least saves us from the sideshow of a reunion with his World Cup assailant, Suarez. There is, of course, still the prospect of Suarez’s reunion with Juventus’s former Manchester United left back Patrice Evra to think about.

It is to be hoped that storyline does not break the surface of what could be an absorbing game. The Olympiastadion is a venue worthy of a classic and we could get one.