Barcelona take on Juventus in the
UEFA Champions League final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Saturday. Here
we look at Thursday's build-up.
Chiellini out of final
Much had been made of
Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini's potential reunion with Barca forward
Luis Suarez following the latter's infamous bite of the Italy international at
last year's World Cup. However, they will not renew acquaintances on the pitch
after Chiellini was ruled out with a calf problem sustained in training.
Iniesta included in
Barca squad
Andres Iniesta had been a doubt for
the Spanish champions because of a calf injury of his own, but the midfielder
has been named in Barca's squad after returning to training on Thursday.
Match ball unveiled as
fans arrive in Berlin
Fans arriving in Berlin were treated
to the opening of the annual Champions League festival at the Brandenburg Gate,
where the match ball for the final - which features multicoloured stars instead
of black ones - was unveiled.
De Marchi's long march
continues
One fan not yet in the German
capital is Juve supporter Nicolo De Marchi, who is walking the
majority of the 683 miles from Turin to Berlin for a ticket. De
Marchi, who has used a bicycle for parts of his journey, posted a picture
of himself on Instagram on Thursday with the caption: "the fatigue is so
great... arrival postponed to tomorrow".
Figo removed
from legends team
Barcelona fans hold grudges for a
long time. Luis Figo's move from Camp Nou to Real Madrid in 2000 made him
public enemy number one in Catalonia. And apparently that is still the case.
UEFA have granted a request from Barcelona to have the former Portugal
midfielder removed from a combined Barca and Juve legends team to face a World
XI on Friday after his selection drew the ire of suppporters.
Busquets my natural
replacement - Xavi
The final will mark Xavi's last
appearance for Barcelona following a storied career with the club he
joined as an 11-year-old. And the veteran has already anointed team-mate
Sergio Busquets as his successor as the leader in the changing room. He told
UEFA's official website: "I think he's [Busquets] my natural
replacement in the dressing room and on the pitch. He's destined to be the
leader for Barcelona for the next decade, without a shadow of a doubt."
Zidane cheering for Juve
In unsurprising news, Zinedine
Zidane has given Juve his backing ahead of the final. The France legend left
Juve for Barca's arch rivals Real in 2001 and told RMC Sport: "I spent
five years in Turin, so I hope they do well on Saturday."
Juve not a traditional
Italian team
Many may expect Juve to park a large
Italian bus in front of the goal on Saturday, but Barca midfielder Javier
Mascherano says the Serie A champions have more to their game than strong
defensive capabilities. "It [Juve] is not a traditional Italian
team," Mascherano told UEFA's official website. "They play like
Italians but they have a lot of talent, they know how to attack and they can
play in different ways. They have lots of variety and that makes them very
difficult to play against."
Pirlo hoping to relive
World Cup emotions
Like Xavi, Andrea Pirlo could also play his last game for
his current club. The Juve midfielder is reportedly set to accept an offer from
MLS franchise New York City FC. For now, though, he is focused on enjoying
another positive experience at the Olympic Stadium after winning the World
Cup with Italy at the same venue in 2006. "Many years have passed since
Berlin," Pirlo said. "But the memory of that magical night remains
indelible and I hope to live the same emotions
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