It has been a long, painful road since suffering a humiliating relegation to Serie B nearly ten years ago. But, for Juventus and their fans, it has been worth it. Twelve years after appearing in their last Champions League final in an all-Italian event versus AC Milan, the Bianconeri are finally back on club football's biggest stage as they prepare to take on Spanish giants Barcelona.
Despite this being the first-ever meeting between the two sides at this juncture, there will be plenty of intrigue, with vestiges of Spain vs. Italy due to the composition of la Vecchia Signora and the Blaugrana and an interesting Manchester United connection linking four players.
Juve's success this season has indeed been impressive, but despite winning their fourth straight Scudetto this season, not many had expected the Bianconeri, who disappointed last campaign by failing to get out of their group to be one of the two finalists featuring in Berlin. And whilst veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon remarked that it "was destiny" for him to be returning to the same stadium where he won a World Cup nine years ago, even he will have to admit that he certainly did not expect them to be on the cusp of winning what will be a historic treble for the club.
Well, they will have the support of not just Juve followers but quite a few general Serie A fans, who have not seen an Italian team in the final since Inter did so back in 2010. So, without further ado, here are ten interesting facts about la Vecchia Signora, who have belied their nickname by showing they can mix it with some of the top sides in Europe.
1. Can they make it a perfect 10?
Juventus are currently unbeaten in their last nine Champions League games, including group stage qualifiers. The last time they lost was to Greek outfit Olympiakos on October 22, 2014 after first losing to Atletico Madrid three weeks prior. However, Saturday's game will obviously be their biggest test as they will be battling for not just club football's most coveted prize, but also the chance at securing a historic Treble.
2. Two ex-Red Devils leading the way
So far, Juve have netted 16 goals, which certainly is not among the highest in teams who have featured in this season's Champions League. Yet, regardless of hwo they made it to this stage, what matters to Bianconeri fans is that Massimiliano Allegri's side are in their first final in a dozen years, and largely thanks to the heroics of two ex-Red Devils: Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba.
Tevez has scored seven goals and provided one assist, whilst Pogba has contributed one goal and three assists, and both will be key for Juve if they wish to derail Barca's plans this
Tevez and Pogba have contributed to 75 per cent of Juve's 16 Champions League goals so far
3. Advantage Juve and Allegri...against Luis Enrique, that is...
Historically, Juve and Allegri have enjoyed playing against Barca boss Luis Enrique. Prior to moving back to Spain with Celta Vigo, the former Blaugrana midfielder spent a frustrating stint in Italy's capital with Roma. In three meetings against Juventus - then under the guidance of Antonio Conte - the Spaniard's Giallorossi drew one and lost the other two, including a 4-0 loss on the road and a 3-0 defeat in the Coppa Italia quarter-final.
Against Allegri's AC Milan, Luis Enrique did not fare much better, losing both at the Stadio Olimpico and the San Siro during the 2011/2012 season.
Although this will be the first final meeting between Juve and Barcelona, Luis Enrique and Allegri are no strangers to each other
4. Allegri, though, has not enjoyed playing against Barca, either...
Here is a fact that Juve fans may not want to hear, but they will be certainly aware of: Allegri has not fared well against Barcelona. Whilst with the Rossoneri, the former midfielder could never seem to escape Lionel Messi & Co. in the Champions League and had to match wits with the Blaugrana a curious total of eight times in just 3.5 seasons with Milan.
Barcelona have ended his Champions League campaigns twice in a row: first a 3-1 aggregate loss during the 2011/2012 quarter-finals and then during the 2012/2013 round of 16, when a 2-0 win at San Siro was not enough to prevent them losing 4-0 at the Camp Nou.
Allegri's total record against the Catalan powerhouse reads as one win, four losses, and three draws. This time he does not have to go to the Camp Nou, where things have never gone his way. Will Berlin be the place where things finally change?
5. Taking on the third of Spain's top three
Barcelona will represent the third La Liga side Juventus have had to face in this season's Champions League. In the group stages, it was last season's league winners and this year's third-best side Atletico Madrid, against whom they lost one and drew one. In the semi-finals, they had to deal with last season's European champions Real Madrid and earned their spot by winning one and drawing the other to power past the Spanish powerhouse 3-2 on aggregate.
6. An interesting case of déjà vu for three Bianconeri stars
Berlin's Olympiastadion will feel quite familiar to Juve captain Buffon, as well as midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo and defensive stalwart Andrea Barzagli. Why? Nine years ago, the three were part of the Azzurri squad that won their country's fourth World Cup. Italy had not been viewed as favourites due to the ongoing Calciopoli scandal, but managed to knock off Germany and France en route to winning it all.
In their first return to this same ground in nearly a decade, these three will be aware that the odds, again, have been stacked against them. Will they again depart Germany's capital with a major title in hand?
Buffon, Barzagli, and Pirlo could possibly win both a World Cup and a Champions League in the same stadium should they defeat Barcelona on Saturday
7. They want to make history...but avoid another kind of record
For Juventus, this is their eighth Champions League final. And as they seek what would be a historic treble, they will head into this game knowing that should they lose, they will also be setting another kind of record: the first team to lose six European finals. So far, they are tied with Benfica and Bayern with five defeats and la Vecchia Signora supporters will hope that it will stay as that number.
Juve's two wins came against Liverpool in 1985 and then Ajax in 1996.
8. 4-3-1-2 equals success...but at what cost?
It will certainly not be surprising, but Juve's performance in their dozen Champions League games has been tied to whichever formation Allegri has opted to use. Under Conte, the Bianconeri mainly used a 3-5-2 set-up, that saw them fare well in Italy, but not so much on the continent. Allegri has also used this 3-5-2 formation as well on occasions and ended up losing two out of their four games.
However, when trying a 4-1-2-1-2 formation, his record improved to two wins and one draw. And finally, when using his favoured 4-3-1-2 set up, Juve won four and drew one, whilst scoring nine and conceding three. Against Barcelona, it will be interesting to see what formation he chooses to deploy, as the 4-3-1-2 has brought them the most success, but unfortunately has seen them give up the most number of goals (the other two formations saw them concede two each).
9. A mean defense, but can they contain Barca's firepower?
Although Juventus scored just 16 goals throughout this tournament, they have been rock-solid at the back, with just seven goals conceded. However, even the most devoted Juve fan will know that this number is certainly to be tested against the Blaugrana's feared "MSN", who have scored a whopping 120 goals between them alone. In their four games against Spanish opposition this tournament the Bianconeri have seen the La Liga sides score three times, or an average of 0.75 goals per game conceded.
10. Clean sheet kings
It is really a testament to the power of Italian defending as Juventus have kept clean sheets so far in six out of their 12 matches, including against Atletico, Dortmund, and Monaco. However, whilst impressive, it is important to note that given their opponent's offensive strength it will be a tall order to prevent the likes of Messi, Suarez, or Neymar from scoring. Still, despite their "underdogs" tag, la Vecchia Signora will not give up without a fight and will be seeking to pull off what would be an impressive upset on Saturday evening.
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