Berlin hosts the Champions League final for the first time this Saturday as the European season comes to a conclusion at the Olympiastadion with a battle between the champions of Italy and Spain.
Both Juventus and Barcelona have already done the domestic league-and-cup double and will be hoping to complete a memorable treble in the German capital.
Juventus
The Old Lady have been the dominant side in Serie A for four seasons, this year winning the league by 17 points - the same margin they had to Roma a year ago. However, until this term they have disappointed on the European stage in recent years. This is their first Champions League final for 12 years since the defeat to AC Milan at Old Trafford in 2003. They haven't won Europe's elite competition since 1996 when they beat Ajax on penalties in Rome. That was their second victory in the competition and if they triumph on Saturday they will become the ninth side with at least three European titles.
In all competitions and the Champions League, Masimilliano Allegri's side are unbeaten in nine games and they are desperately hoping not to become the first team to lose in the final of the European Cup/Champions League six times. Their route to the final has included victories in the knockout stages over Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and, most notably, last year's winners Real Madrid in the semi-finals. A Barca-Real El Clasico showdown was expected in Berlin, but Allegri's side upset the odds with a 3-2 aggregate victory against Los Blancos. In fact, the Old Lady will have played all of Spain's big three in this year's competition after being drawn with Atletico Madrid in the group stage.
Four of Juve's squad - Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan 2003, 2007), Patrice Evra and Carlos Tevez (Manchester United 2008) and Alvaro Morata (Real Madrid 2014) - have Champions League final-winning experience. Talismanic goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is the sole survivor of their last final appearance in 2003, when Pirlo was on the opposing side.
Recent Champions League form: WWWDWD
Recent form (all competitions): DDWWWD
Barcelona
Barca wrapped up their fifth La Liga title in seven years by finishing two clear of Clasico rivals Real this season. Last Saturday they added the Copa del Rey with a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao. They are appearing in their first final since 2011 with arguably the greatest ever club squad and perhaps the best player to ever kick a football.
Lionel Messi's solo effort to open the scoring on Saturday was arguably the finest goal of his career. A goal for the Argentinian wizard this weekend would take him above Cristiano Ronaldo in the all-time Champions League scoring charts - they are currently both on 77. He would also become the first player to score in three separate finals if he finds the net after bagging goals in the 2009 and 2011 victories over Man United.
The Catalans' deadly front three of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar have scored a whopping 120 goals between them in all competitions this term, surpassing the 118 Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain managed for Real in 2011-12. Barca are in the final following victories over Manchester City (3-1), Paris Saint-Germain (5-1) and Bayern Munich (5-3) in the knockout stages. After a sensational 3-0 win over Bayern in the first leg, Barca lost the second leg 3-2 and that put an end to a nine-game winning streak in Europe. Still, they will enter the match as favourites.
Like opposite number Allegri, Enrique is trying to complete the treble in his first season in charge.
Recent Champions League form: WWWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWDW
Team News The big news that emerged on Thursday is that Juve centre-back Giorgio Chiellini will not be fit for Saturday's showpiece and a reunion with Suarez after the Uruguayan bit him at last year's World Cup. The warrior-like centre-back hasn't recovered in time from a calf injury and his absence will be a huge blow to Allegri, who is already without Martin Caceres and might also be unable to call upon Andrea Barzagli. The latter returned to training yesterday but is not 100% fit and the Turin side will either have to risk the 34-year-old, or instead opt for Angelo Ogbonna, who has played just once in the Champions League this season, in Chiellini's place. Allegri has no worries further forward and is likely to start Alvaro Morata with Carlos Tevez in attack after the former scored in both legs of the semi-final against former club Real.
As for Barca, Enrique will probably name the same XI that started both legs of the semi-final against Bayern. They have eight survivors from their 2011 winning squad and it is likely that six of them - Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets and Messi - will start. Xavi and Pedro are the other two. Xavi will make his 767th and final appearance for the club if he plays, but a start seems unlikely for the Spanish veteran who has predominantly come off the bench in Europe this season.
Juventus possible starting lineup: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Barzagli, Evra; Pirlo, Pogba, Marchisio, Vidal; Morata, Tevez
Barcelona possible starting lineup: Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir
Kick Off Time : 19:45HRS
Head To Head The duo's only previous Champions League meeting was in the 2003 quarter-finals, when Juve won in extra time at the Camp Nou thanks to a 114th-minute goal from Marcelo Zalayeta before going on to lose to Milan in the final. They have met on eight total occasions in European competition.
Juve lead the head-to-head record with four wins to two (D2). If Juve win on Saturday they will join an illustrious list of treble winners - Celtic (1967), Ajax (1972), PSV Eindhoven (1988), Manchester United (1999), Barcelona (2009), Inter Milan (2010) and Bayern Munich (2013).
A Barca victory, meanwhile, would be the first time in European club history that a team has done the league, cup and European treble on more than one occasion.
Both sides will appear in their eighth Champions League final, with Juve winning just two of their previous seven and Barca claiming victory in four.
In fact, Barca have won their last three finals in 2006, 2009 and 2011 - all against English opposition (Arsenal once and Manchester United twice) - while Juve have lost their last three finals.
Italian and Spanish sides have met in the final on seven occasions before, with the Spaniards winning five of those meetings. The last was in 1998 when Juve fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Real in Amsterdam.
This is the first time that the final has been held in June.
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