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| Suarez,Neymer amd Messi |
In Italian, the word
is 'triplo'. In Spanish and Catalan, it's 'triple'.
One word is dominating the build-up
to Saturday's mouth-watering UEFA Champions League final between Juventus and
Barcelona: Treble.
Juve and Barca have proven
themselves the dominant forces in Italian and Spanish football this season,
with both claiming domestic doubles. Now, it's time for one of
them to make history by adding the biggest trophy of them all to their hauls.
Only seven teams in history have won
the treble, with Barca bidding to become the first club to achieve the feat
twice - just six years after Pep Guardiola's 2009 vintage swept the
board.
Juve are not part of that elite
group. They travel to Berlin bidding to become European champions for the third
time overall and first since 1996.
But while many make Barca
overwhelming favourites to claim their fourth Champions League title in 10
seasons, coach Luis Enrique - who is looking to emulate his great friend
Guardiola by winning the treble in his first season in charge at Camp Nou
- is not so sure.
"Winning the Champions League
would signify a treble for us and it's something that excites everyone. It's
happened just once in the club's history, and this tells you how difficult it
is to achieve," he said.
"[But] I'm concerned about
everything Juventus have to offer. They possess quality players. I hope
[playmaker Andrea] Pirlo doesn't have too much influence on the game, because
we all know what he's capable of doing.
"They have great defenders who
know how to get things moving from the back. [Alvaro] Morata's been a big asset
for the team and has a real nose for goal, while [Carlos] Tevez guarantees
absolute quality."
Luis Enrique's citing of Juve's
defence is telling.
If his front three of Lionel Messi,
Neymar and Luis Suarez are the irresistible force, then Massimiliano Allegri's
trio of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and centre-backs Giorgio Chiellini and
Leonardo Bonucci have been the immovable object.
However, Chiellini's absence due to
a calf problem sustained in training on Wednesday represents a huge blow
for Allegri.
Buffon is Juve's captain, but it is
Chiellini who is their on-field general; a leader of men who will be sorely
missed as they attempt to contain Barca's stellar triumvirate. Either Angelo
Ogbonna or Andrea Barzagli are Chiellini's most likely deputies.
Without Chiellini, Juve will have to
shackle Messi, Neymar and Suarez, who have scored a scarcely
believable 120 goals between them this season.
They put Manchester City, Paris
Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich to the sword en route to Berlin, while Messi
scored a goal that can only be described as breathtaking even by his
otherworldly standards in Barca's 3-1 Copa del Rey final victory over
Athletic Bilbao last Saturday.
But if any defence is streetwise,
tough and downright good enough to stop them, it is Buffon and co, who are
aided and abetted by full-backs Stephan Lichtsteiner and Patrice Evra.
To say a team boasting the
attacking talents of Tevez, Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal are
relying on their defensive colleagues for glory this weekend would be
doing them a disservice.
But it was they who
thwarted Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in the
semi-finals, as Juve eliminated Barca's great rivals and holders Real
Madrid.
And if Messi, Neymar and Suarez can be similarly
frustrated, the 'triplo', rather than the 'triple', could very much be on
the cards
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