Juventus and FC Barcelona are in their eighth European Cup final; Massimiliano Allegri says “we have to be winners”, Luis Enrique wants another prize for “a unique generation”.
Possible lineups
Juventus: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Barzagli, Evra; Marchisio, Pirlo, Pogba; Vidal; Tévez, Morata.
Out: Chiellini (calf), Cáceres (ankle)
Doubtful: Barzagli (thigh)
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitić, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar.
Out: none
Doubtful: none
Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus coach
We started the season with an important objective – to get to the quarter-finals. Now we’ve got to the final and we have to be winners. We need to take the last step; that’s always hard, especially in a Champions League final.
Messi, Neymar, Suárez, it’s the usual question since the semi-final – how do you stop them, how do you stop them? We need to be very skilled but we need to recognise we’re not going to draw; we need to score. How do you stop Barcelona? We need to think how to score. We need to be strong technically because they’re a technical team and attack is their best weapon so we need to be very, very aware of that.
We need to stay focused for 90 minutes, right until the end. We need to be mentally strong and turn things around because we’re second favourites to Barcelona. It’s a one-off match, no chance to play again, so we need to be fit. We are physically fine and the same goes for our mental strength. We need to be good against a great team but, like all teams, they do have faults and weaknesses.
Juventus: road to the final
One of the two teams will win a treble, either Juventus or Barcelona – hopefully us. We need to recognise this isn’t easy. It’s not easy to manage great teams, despite how it seems from the outside. Luis Enrique was a great manager at Roma; this is a new league and a new situation but even back then it was clear he was right in his ideas. My role as manager is trying to add value to a team who were already capable, improving them even more.
It should be a great game. As with all Champions League finals, we’ll need some luck and we’ll need to work for that.
We’re very sorry for what happened to Chiellini but I guess it was meant to be. We lost a player who had been great for us from the start of the season. Barzagli and Ogbonna are both fit; if Barzagli feels OK he’s going to play, otherwise it’s Ogbonna.
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Massimiliano Allegri speaks to the media
It’s important that we have an Italian team in the final. The last time was five years ago, in 2010 when Inter won. We can see the enthusiasm; most Italians are looking forward to seeing Juventus lift the cup. This is going to be something positive for our game.
Irrespective of the outcome, we’ve had an extraordinary season. Apart from the league title and the tenth Coppa Italia, which had been missing for 20 years, we have to consider the consolidation of the team in Europe, getting back among the top eight teams. That’s important for building momentum.
Luis Enrique, Barcelona coach
[Getting better] is a normal process throughout a season, especially bearing in mind this is my first season in charge. The team is now where it wants to be – with two trophies and the possibility of a third. We’re entering this game with great excitement and hopes of playing a great match so we can be better than our opponents.
Barcelona: road to the final
Midfield is where the game takes shape, whether that’s attack or defence. We have to dominate both the offensive and the defensive side of things. We want to play our game – have the ball, create danger and minimise any opportunities for our opponents.
There is some euphoria among the fans and we’re delighted to see that – that feeling has been there for several months. As players and coaches, we’re focusing on this match with a great sense of seriousness and responsibility. We have to handle the occasion properly and make sure we have a good day so we can deal with such powerful opponents.
I imagine we’ll have more possession, we hope to spend more time in their half. We’ll have to play at a high level, it’s going to be a difficult match. Juve have a very similar style to ours, they also need the ball. They’re very good in defence, they’re very resourceful and that’s why they’re in the same position as us – they can win the treble too. We know Juve will want and they’re going to pressure us. Who will win depends on who adapts better to those situations.
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Luis Enrique at the pre-match press conference
We’ve scored lots of goals in the Champions League but we know finals are very different; there’s a lot of tension so we’ll have to block that out. The strikers have got all the headlines and that’s natural. To be here today, having already won those two trophies in Spain, the players know you need a squad – we wouldn’t have got here without our defenders too.
We have a unique set of players, a unique generation given the number of trophies Barcelona have won. I hope we see a great final, an open exciting game – that would be great for football, and the better side would win. This is going to be one of the best matches you can watch – the champions of Italy and Spain. It’s going to be spectacular.
Last match
Hellas Verona FC 2-2 Juventus (Toni 48, Juanito 90+3; Pereyra 42, Llorente 57)
Athletic Club 1-3 Barcelona (Williams 79; Messi 20 73, Neymar 36)
 
Meet the final referee
Match fact
Having won their respective league titles and domestic cups, both Juventus and Barcelona could complete a treble with victory in Berlin – how many teams have achieved the feat before? Find out in our extensive match background.
You can listen to the game on Matchday Live via the UEFA.com MatchCentre or on the updated version of the official UEFA.com app from 19.30CET
Source: uefa.com
By Anna Italia
Juventus – Barcelona
