By Anna Italia
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It’s Champions League Final build up.  The final  between Juventus vs Barcelona on Saturday 6 June 2015 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany at 20:45.   Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri directing the training on Tuesday 2 June at the Juventus Center training in Vinovo.

  Juventus – Barcelona 

As reported by Juventus official website,  after being put through their paces in front of the world’s media yesterday at Juventus Stadium, it was a far more intimate environment.

Allegri ran his troops through an intense session in which a variety of fitness and technical drills were followed by a focus on tactics for Saturday evening at the Olympiastadion.

Juventus  will return to their preparations on Wednesday 3 June with another morning session.

Juventus.com recalls some former meetings of this weekend’s Champions League finalists in European competitions

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup last 32: Barcelona 2-4 Juventus (agg.), 1970/71

Back in October 1970, Juventus and Barcelona locked horns for the very first time, having been drawn together in the last 32 of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

During the first leg at the Nou Camp, legendary playmaker Helmut Haller gave the visitors an early lead on 12 minutes.

Roberto Bettega then added a second just after the interval to put Armando Picchi’s side firmly in control of the tie, only for Marcial Pina to pull one back for the Spanish giants 14 minutes from the end.

The return leg in Turin two weeks later witnessed the Old Lady begin like a train, scoring twice in the first 23 minutes through Bettega and Fabio Capello, and in spite of Lluis Pujol’s strike for Barcelona in the dying embers, they progressed 4-2 on aggregate.

European Cup quarter-finals: Barcelona 2-1 Juventus (agg.), 1985/86

Fifteen years later, the duo once again crossed paths at the quarter-final stage of Europe’s elite competition, with Juventus approaching the game as defending champions.

A tightly-contested first leg in Spain was ultimately decided by Julio Alberto’s spectacular long-range strike nine minutes ahead of the half-time break.

The return clash at the Stadio Comunale saw Terry Venables’ Blaugrana take a giant step towards the semi-final following Steven Archibald’s finish on the half-hour mark.

Three-time Ballon d’Or winner Michel Platini gave the Bianconeri some hope with a goal 60 seconds before the interval, but Barcelona, who would be beaten by Romanian outfit Steaua Bucharest in the final, stood firm to set up a last four shootout with Gothenburg.  

Cup Winners’ Cup semi-finals: Barcelona 3-2 Juventus (agg.), 1990/91

After brushing RFC Liege aside 6-1 in the quarter-finals, Juventus faced Barcelona for a place in May 1991’s final at Rotterdam’s Stadion Feijenoord.

It only took Luigi Maifredi’s men 12 minutes to go in front during the first leg in Spain, Pierluigi Casiraghi tapping into an empty net following a defensive mix-up from the Blaugrana rearguard.

But back came the hosts who turned the match on its head in a 19-minute second-half blitz, with Hristo Stoichkov hitting a brace before Ion Andoni Goikoetxea added a third with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Due to the Bianconeri’s away goal, the visitors defended for their lives in the return clash at the Stadio delle Alpi, repelling attack after attack.

However, there was little Barcelona could do when Roberto Baggio curled home a trademark free-kick to give the Old Lady a lifeline on 61 minutes. But despite pouring forward for the final half hour, they were unable to bag that all-important second.

Champions League quarter-finals: Juventus 3-2 Barcelona (agg.), 2002/03 

The most recent meeting between the two European powerhouses, a Champions League last eight clash, came back in April 2003.

During the first leg at the Stadio delle Alpi, Paolo Montero had put Marcello Lippi’s charges a goal to the good before Javier Saviola’s strike ensured it was advantage Barcelona for the return encounter a week later.

Determined to cancel out the away goal, Juventus went in front on 53 minutes through Pavel Nedved. But Xavi, who is in line to make his last Barcelona appearance this weekend, equalised to send the game into extra-time.

With penalties looming, Marcelo Zalayeta stooped to head in Alessandro Birindelli’s cross and send the travelling faithful wild as the Bianconeri secured a semi-final showdown against Real Madrid.

By Anna Italia
Follow me in Twitter @ItalianSerieA,
Facebook: Anna Italia Page

Champions League build up.   Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri not only believing in the dream to win the Champions League, but also encouraging fans to believe.     Come on Juventus, forza let’s win the 2014 – 2015 Champions League and defeat Barcelona in the Champions League Final on Saturday 6 June 2015 at Olympiastadion and end the season in glory after winning the Scudetto and Coppa Italia.

Here are the declarations of Allegri to the media at the Juventus Stadium on 1 June 2015:  

“Everyone dreams of preparing for a game like this. It’s been an extraordinary season that will go down in history, winning the Champions League would make it even better”

  Juventus – Barcelona 

Allegri adding, “Preparing for a game like this is enjoyable. Everyone dreams of doing so and I consider myself very fortunate to coach players who have brought great joy over these past four years. It’s been an extraordinary season that will go down in history, and winning the Champions League would make it even better.”

Juventus’ route to the final saw holders Real Madrid dispatched at the semi-final stage and Allegri claims the test against Los Galacticos will serve his men in good stead for handling the likes of Lionel Messi at the Olympiastadion.

“The meeting with Real was a useful test for us, enabling us to pit our wits against top quality players, as we’ll be doing when we face Barcelona. It will be even tougher in Berlin, but it’s a one-off game and that perhaps represents a slight advantage for us.”

“We need to appreciate that we’ll be in for some difficult spells but also moments that go in our favour. We’re not travelling to Berlin to make up the numbers. It’s the final and taking on the world’s best players is something that’s perfectly normal, but this shouldn’t make us anxious as we have great character.”

Character will be teamed with a compact tactical approach in Germany and the Tuscan revealed his pre-match preparations are covering all bases, including a penalty shootout scenario in the event of the scores remaining tied at 120 minutes.

“We need to stay compact and keep it tight. They possess great quality, but so do we. We’ll prepare for every eventuality, including penalties, but I don’t think it will go to spot kicks.”

The midfielder says the Bianconeri will be going all out to make their Champions League dream come true: “We respect Barcelona but don’t fear them. We want to give it a good go, right until the end”

Claudio Marchisio says Juventus will not be overawed by the task facing them next week against Barcelona, insisting their measured and focused build-up over the next five days will help them perform to the maximum of their abilities in the Champions League final.

Speaking to the media at Juventus Stadium, the 29-year-old: “We’re certainly not scared of taking them on. We’re happy at having earned such an important occasion and there’s the right tension in the camp.

“If we think back to the start of the season nobody would have had us down as finalists and here we are. We’ll be calm in our build-up and aim to prepare for the game as best we can.”

The boyhood Bianconero is perhaps more aware than anyone of what Champions League success would mean to Juventus and will be seeking to emulate the heroes of 1996 when he and his team-mates go into battle at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Saturday evening.

“I saw Juventus lift the title in 1996 and unfortunately also witnessed the defeats since. We know how much the fans want it, but also the club itself. We need to be aware that in a final the chances of winning and losing are 50/50, but we want to give it a good go, right until the end.”

Next week’s opponents, who completed a La Liga and Copa del Rey double with Saturday’s 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao, remain bookmakers’ favourites for the title, but Marchisio is confident the Bianconeri have enough in their locker to ensure they give as good as they get in Berlin.

“We possess plenty of respect for Barcelona, who have a phenomenal strikeforce that’s capable of scoring 120 goals. Having said that we’re an organised side with a tight-knit group and great heart. We’ll go out there and play in a carefree manner, aware of the qualities we have.”