Juve - Barca: Opportunity for the 'Old Lady' to take revenge

After defeating PSG with an unbelievable score of 6-1 to enter the quarter-finals, Barca was immediately put in the number one position by the bookies. But the 'Old Lady' is not afraid of the number one candidate.

* The match takes place at 1:45 a.m. on April 12, Hanoi time.

If there is anyone who wants Juventus to meet Barcelona the most right now, it is Andrea Pirlo. "I can't wait to see Juventus get their revenge," he said from the United States. Two years ago in Berlin, Barca beat Juve in the final and won the Champions League in Luis Enrique's first season. Now Juve will have a chance for revenge, in the last season of the Gijon coach.

The defeat in the 2015 final will be a huge motivation for Juventus when they enter the Champions League quarter-finals with Barca today. Photo: AFP.

Pirlo is no stranger to revenge. He was the witness of another revenge in the colors of AC Milan. After losing to Liverpool in the 2005 final in Istanbul, Pirlo and his Milan teammates waited to get revenge on Liverpool. They finally succeeded, when Milan defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the 2007 Champions League final, held in Athens.

Italians never forget their debts, whether they owe others or others owe them. When Italy beat France to win the 2006 World Cup, they said it was a happy ending to France’s defeat in the Euro 2000 final. Of course, the scars of defeat are still there, but it gives Italians a sense of comfort. And notice: past defeats always serve as motivation for the next encounter.

Juventus entered the match against Barca with that motivation, and a much greater belief than two years ago. "People clearly see that Barca is weaker," Leonardo Bonucci said. "We want to get revenge in Berlin," Paulo Dybala said loudly, even though two years ago he was not a Juventus player.

When asked who he wanted to avoid in the quarter-finals, coach Max Allegri named Leicester City. "Because if we play Leicester, all the pressure will be on us," Allegri explained. What about playing Barca? The Juventus coach immediately replied: "All the better."

Key developments of the final match Barca 3-1 Juve

Since the magical night of eliminating PSG on March 8, Barca have not pulled away as many thought. They lost to Deportivo right after that. Last weekend, Barca lost 0-2 to Malaga, missing a great opportunity to take the top spot in La Liga, in a match where Neymar received a red card and even faced a long-term ban.

Over the past few days, Spaniards have been celebrating as if it were a national day when golfer Sergio Garcia finally won his first Masters tournament. At 37 years old, Garcia has been rewarded for his tireless efforts. The emotions he brought to golf lovers in general and himself in particular were as intense as Barca's 6-1 victory over PSG in March.

There is only one thing that Barca does not like: Sergio Garcia is a Madridista. And the intense race with Real in La Liga is forcing Barca to be distracted. The situation is strange for Barca now. They can "win three", but they can also lose everything if they do not have a reasonable distribution, both in terms of strength and concentration. Because after the match with Juventus in the second leg of the quarter-finals, they will play El Clasico.

Barca are under pressure to distribute their strength across three competitions, with the two Champions League matches against Juventus and the El Clasico match in La Liga. Photo: EFE.

The tension is palpable. Luis Enrique, after more than two years of refusing to comment on referees, recently criticized them: "We players tie our shoelaces and get yellow cards." Enrique forgot that Neymar tied his shoelaces in front of a Malaga player, a trick to prevent his opponent from taking a quick free kick. And after being sent off, Neymar even made fun of the fourth official. People rarely act so rashly when they are not stressed.

Juventus, on the other hand, are confident. "Hey, hey, Lionel Messi has never scored against me," Buffon laughed when reminded of the danger of the MSN trio. If Barca has MSN, Juventus has BBC.

The trio of Bonucci - Barzagli - Chiellini have played together for hundreds of matches, from club level to national team level. They understand each other very well. One of the three - Chiellini - has just become a Master of Business Administration at the University of Turin. Perhaps he still hasn't forgotten the bite from Suarez when they met at the 2014 World Cup.

If it were a one-on-one, Barca's starting lineup would of course be worth more than Juve's. But as a team, it's too early to say. Buffon said: "Compared to two years ago, we are more experienced and will be calmer when facing them."

*Juventus makes a motivational video before the big match against Barca

Italian defenders, like Italian wine, are better the longer they are kept. And now that defense has a great addition in the form of Daniel Alves. Obviously, Barca really misses the Brazilian defender's runs down the right wing. Leaving Barca with a bad mood, Alves will not have any leniency from his old team. The defender himself even declared: "Barca really misses me."

Compared to two years ago, Barca will not only lose Alves but will also lose Sergio Busquets, their most important midfielder. Meanwhile, Juventus' attack line now has two more Argentinian players: Paulo Dybala - Gonzalo Higuain.

The first has just declared: "I don't want to be the new Messi. I just want to be Dybala." The second still has a reputation for being bad in big games. But he has scored four goals against his old team Napoli this season. And he also scored against Barca in three El Clasicos when he was at Real Madrid.

"Juventus will beat Barca. The Italians are always very strong in rematches," said Pirlo. No one knows this better than him!

According to VNE