Veteran Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon insists that the Italian champions have not come to Berlin to lie down against Barcelona.
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Like Barcelona, Juventus have already secured a domestic league and cup double this season and are now looking to win what would be an unprecedented treble by adding a third European Cup on Saturday night.
But the Catalans’ star-studded attack of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, who have scored a stunning 120 goals between them this season, give them the edge.
“I think it would be fair to say that, objectively, Barcelona are the favourites because they have great individual players with great skill,” said Buffon.
MSN record with Barcelona in the UCL Messi: 98 games, 77 goals, 22 assists Ney: 21 games, 13 goals, 3 assists Suarez: 9 games, 6 goals, 3a
— Sextuple (@BarcaStat) June 5, 2015
“Any team with players like Messi, Neymar and Suarez, with Iniesta playing behind them, are the favourites. They are lucky to have such players in their squad, but when you meet a team like Juventus with Carlos Tevez, Paul Pogba and Leonardo Bonucci etc… I think we’re not necessarily here to be the victims, we have a chance.”
Messi alone has scored 58 goals and is bidding to become the first player to score in three Champions League finals having also netted in 2009 and 2011.
However, Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri says rather than focusing purely on trying to stop Barca’s South American trio, his forwards Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata must look to test the Catalans’ German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
“Neymar, Suarez and Messi, it’s the usual question we have been pondering since we reached the final: how do you stop them?” said Allegri.
“They are excellent players and we’ll have to be at the top of our game, but we won’t be playing for a draw. We need to score.”
Juve lost key defender Giorgio Chiellini to a calf problem on Thursday, with Andrea Barzagli expected to come in if the 34-year-old passes a fitness test on a leg injury which has kept him out of action for the last two weeks.
Allegri added: “Barzagli and Angelo Ogbonna are both fit; If Barzagli feels okay then he’ll play.”
Meanwhile, Enrique insists teamwork not individual brilliance is the key for Barcelona. The greatest weight of expectation, as always, will be placed upon Messi’s shoulders but Enrique wants his team to function as a unit rather than relying solely on their superstar.
He said “Messi is obviously the best player in the world, but we go into the game as a collective. If all we did was attack with three players and defend with eight, we wouldn’t have won so many games. The position we’re in shows that the team has worked marvellously together.”
Although the expectation is for a game with possession dominated by Barca while Juve defend deep and seek to launch counter-attacks, Enrique, who expects Iniesta to overcome a calf strain to start, added: “It won’t be a clash of styles. Juve also like to have the ball, but we will try to play our game – control possession and minimise the opportunities for our opponent.
“The world is hoping for a great final and it would be good to have an open game. The champions of Spain against the champions of Italy – it should be quite a spectacle.”
Defender Gerard Pique, meanwhile, asserted Barca are “90 minutes from perfection” as Enrique’s team can win the treble for only the second time in the club’s history.
Pique, who played in the only other team to claim all three trophies in 2009, said: “Whatever happens, it will be a great season. But if we win this game, it will be perfect. We have achieved all our objectives and we have a great team – one of the best in the club’s history.”
