A few years ago Antonio Conte returned to Juventus after the club had experienced two consecutive seasons of disappointment in Serie A. The Old Lady looked to be slowly fading away from the Champions League, then three key signings and the arrival of former midfielder, now coach Conte, sparked a change. Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, and Stephan Lichtsteiner all arrived in the same summer and after one season together the club returned to Scudetto glory. With an undefeated season and direct entrance into the Champions League, all of a sudden the European dream for Juventus was beginning to return. 

 

Fast forward three years and new coach Max Allegri’s bold decision to transform the three time Serie A winner’s formation away from a 3-5-2 was the difference as the Bianconeri eventually advanced to the Champions League final against Barcelona in June of 2015. Allegri’s switch allowed Juve to play with perhaps Europe’s best midfield combination with Pogba, Pirlo, Vidal, and Marchisio all featuring in the same side. In the 3-5-2 system, one of these players had to make way for a central back. Credit to Allegri for this decision and to the players for achieving such a swift return to the final stages of Champions League competition. 

 

At this point management was swayed by Juve’s recent resurgence back into Italian dominance and European contention. But they knew they were still lacking the key components to challenge that of Bayern, Barca, or Real Madrid. Major signings like Paulo Dybala, then the sale of Pogba to allow the 90 million EUR transfer of Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli. In addition, signing Miralem Pjanic from Roma, the renewal of Cuadrado’s loan, the Alex Sandro signing from Porto, and Khedira and Dani Alves on free transfers all represent a revived Juventus club with a more European flavour.

 

 

It was a bittersweet draw for the Old Lady when they were matched up against the Catalan giants in a rematch of the final from two years ago. Of the four major midfielders in the Juve side that faced Barcelona that night in Berlin, only Claudio Marchisio remains. But they now have a new firepower in attack in the shape of in form Argentine duo Dybala and Higuain.

Allegri’s new look 4-2-3-1 formation gives space for Mandzukic and Cuadrado to be involved in dedicated starting roles, whilst giving the Bianconeri both width and grit on the wings. In central midfield, Allegri must choose two among Pjanic, Khedira, and Marchisio as the pivot midfielders to play behind the talented front four. 

 

In defence some tactical questions arise. While Bonucci and Chiellini are poised to show their experience in a colossal matchup, the outside backs bring different options into contention. Should Allegri choose a more aggressive and attacking lineup, Brazilians Dani Alves and Alex Sandro could both start against Barca. The defensive alternatives are Lichtsteiner and Kwadwo Asamoah, and there is the possibility that Allegri chooses one of each to give some balance. 

 

The biggest difference between the game this year and the final of two years ago is not apparent via the line-up or stat sheet. Where Juventus have matured the most over the past two years is psychologically, as they have been able to sell and buy major players without any instability and continued success.

Last year’s 4-2 loss to Bayern in the second leg and the 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2015 gave Juve’s players big game experience and the feeling of intense pressure that accompanies these types of matches. On paper Barcelona are relatively unchanged since the final two years ago, with the hugely dangerous Messi, Suarez, Neymar trio in attack and lots of quality behind them. The matchup on an individual level seems to lean in favour of the Catalans, but if Allegri can get his tactics right and Juve’s front four put a few goals past Ter Stegen perhaps the Bianconeri can smile come Tuesday night. 



Probable Starting Line-Ups:

Juventus: (4-2-3-1) Buffon; Sandro, Chiellini, Bonucci, Alves; Khedira, Pjanic;  Mandzukic, Dybala, Cuadrado; Higuain

Barcelona: (4-3-3) Stegen; Alba, Umtiti, Pique, Roberto; Gomes, Iniesta, Rakitic; Neymar, Messi, Suarez 


David Baleno