Barcelona vs. Juventus Champions League Final Predictions, Analysis: 5 Reasons Why Juventus is Favorite to Win Title
For many, Barcelona is the runaway favorite to win the Champions League. It makes sense why some would feel this way: Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez, the history, the style, and the recent run of play.
There can be no doubt that Barcelona is a top notch side.
However, Juventus is not hobbling into this final or simply lucky to be competing for the top prize in club soccer.
The team got here for a number of reasons and those same reasons also justify this team being a potential favorite to win the Champions League. Here are reasons why Juventus should not be overlooked.
Midfield Geniuses
Massimiliano Allegri knows how to get his team to play possession soccer. He used it to strong effect in Turin against Real Madrid and won 2-1. He also knows how to shut down possession soccer, as exhibited in the second leg against Real Madrid.
Albeit, it was not always pretty, and Los Blancos certainly had their share of looked throughout the game, but when push came to shove, the Italian club knew how to flood the midfield and then clog up the spots inside the penalty area to cut off supply to Los Blancos' attackers.
Juventus will certainly try to win the possession battle against Barcelona in the final, but if it fails to do so, the team will likely know how to kill the flow of Blaugrana's passing game.
Juventus is not a quick team on the counter, but it certainly has its share of counter attacking options.
More importantly, this team is just as good in the middle of the pitch. Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal can take over games at will, and they pose a variety of threats to opposition that gives opposing teams headaches. Vidal is a creative mastermind with a rough edge that unsettles opposing defensive midfielders. Pogba is also creative but terrific at retaining possession. Pirlo is essentially untouchable with the ball, and most defenses are focused on cutting off the recipient of his pass than cutting him down.
Giorgio Chiellini, Patrice Evra
Why these two players? Because of one man on the opposing side -- Luis Suarez. Both players suffered humiliation at the hands of the Uruguayan at some point in their respective careers, and everyone knows that despite any claims to the opposite, there will be some revenge factor involved in the proceedings. Chiellini will likely be shutting down Suarez directly, and there is probably nothing he would want more than to keep the Barcelona forward out of the game for as long as possible. Evra might not have the same direct impact on Suarez's game, but he might also play with greater desperation to take down a player he probably has little liking for.
Forwards
Barcelona's defense is not compact. It has its misfires and struggles against quicker forwards. Alvaro Morata and Carlos Tevez are speedy strikers and will likely give the likes of Javier Mascherano and especially Gerard Pique major headaches.
Barcelona did well defending a 4-3-3 against Bayern Munich, but even then the team lost 3-2 on the road against a team lacking key players and contributors.
Juventus is likely to have its forward like complete, forcing one of two factors. Either Barcelona risks matching the two forwards with two center backs and leaves itself open to counters. Or it forces Dani Alves and Jordi Alba to hang back a bit more, thus cutting off key aspects of the team's attack.
If Morata and Tevez are being shut down with size, then Allegri can throw in Fernando Llorente, a big and skilled body that could kill Barcelona in the air or in front of the penalty area.
Barcelona might have its own triple threat of forwards, but tactically Barcelona might find it harder to shut down the variety of attackers at Allegri's disposal.
Underdog Status
There are a number of factors that can aid team success. Tactics and talent are obviously the ones most people place emphasis on as they are the most likely to decide games. However, this is a sport played by human beings, and the psychological will also affect the outcome in one way or another.
This is the reasoning for listing this as a reason for Juventus' status as a favorite to win.
As noted, the Italian side will be looked upon as the underdog by most pundits. This means two things. First off, in most minds Barcelona has is the runaway favorite, and a loss would be a blemish on a solid year. A loss for Juventus is more or less expected.
That also means that Barcelona has more pressure to succeed than Juventus does. Ask any player and they will all say that everyone has the same amount of pressure to win. They are after all professionals.
Juventus knows that to this point, their season has been a success and anything beyond that is house money. So, expect the team to come in with a more relaxed and focused attitude knowing that the weight of the world is not on their shoulders.
Older Statesmen looking for final glory
There are two Italian icons on this team -- Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon. The former is 35, and the latter is 37. Not exactly players in their ripe ages. So you know that they want this trophy more than anything.
Pirlo has won it twice and would surely want to go out on a high (if he in fact is leaving a rumors have it), while Buffon has never actually tasted Champions League glory. You know that he surely wants this award more than anything.
The other guys in the room are not unaware of these situations and great teams rally around every player in that room. The players might play for themselves, but they also play for each other, and this would undoubtedly be a major rallying point.
The Entire Series Thus Far