Italian Football Club Juventus s.p.A. and Spanish Futbol Club Barcelona face each other in the 2015 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League Final on Saturday, June 6 at the FOX Olympiastadion at 11:45 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time). The match will livestream in the United States at FOX Soccer 2GO USA, in Spain at Movistar TV fútbol, and in Italy at Sky GO Italia. Christianity Daily compiled a list of five things to know for the match.
Five Things To Know:
1) The UEFA Champions League Final is the biggest soccer match of the year. It is equivalent to the Super Bowl in football and the World Series in baseball. Two of the best soccer teams in the world face each other. The cup tournament was established in 1955. The best teams in Europe play in a knockout competition. According to Total Sportek, the prize money for 2014-2015 is $1.1 billion.
2) The history behind the two teams: Juve was established in 1897 and won 2 finals. It won against Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels in 1985. The team also defeated Ajax at the Olympic Stadium in Rome in 1996. Juve lost five finals in its history. Barca was established in 1899 and won 4 finals. The team made it to the finals seven times, losing three of them. It is a Treble-winning team, having won a domestic title, primary domestic title, and Champions League.
3) Team colors: Juve's home colors are black and white, away colors are blue, and third colors are green. Juve is met with much affection by its home country being called "La Vecchia Signora" which translates to "The Old Lady" and also "La Fidanzata d'Italia" which means "The Girlfriend of Italy." Barca's home colors are blue and red, away colors are orange, and third colors are yellow. Its motto is "Més que un club," which translates in English to "more than a club."
4) Juve's head coach is Massimiliano Allegri. Allegri is 47 years old and formerly played as a midfielder during his active years. The teams he played for were Livorno, Pescara, Cagliari, Perugia, Napoli, Pistoiese, and Aglianese. Barca's head coach is Luis Enrique. He is 45 years old and formerly played as a midfielder and striker in his active years. Enrique played all positions except for central defender and goalie. During his career, he played for Real Madrid and Barcelona. He played in three World Cups and one European Championship.
Lionel Messi playing in soccer match on December 2011.
5) According to Top Players Rank, the two top players to watch in Juve are Lionel Messi and Neymar. Both play forward positions. Messi is 27 years old. He played in 38 games, scored 43 goals, made 13 assists, and made 187 shots in 2014-2015. Neymar is 23 years old. He played in 33 games, scored 22 goals, made 7 assists, and made 95 shots in 2014-2015. The two players to watch in Barca are Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo. Buffon is a 37-year-old goalkeeper who played in 32 games, made 59 saves, and 18 cleansheets in 2014-2015. Pirlo is a 36-year-old midfielder who played in 19 games, scored 4 goals, made 5 assists and 25 shots in 2014-2015.
Andrea Pirlo being interviewed on September 2014.
Team Rosters:
FC Barcelona: Goalie Marc-André ter Stegen, defense players MartÃn Montoya, Gerard Piqué, midfielder Ivan Rakiti?, 4th captain Sergio Busquets, cap Xavi Hernández, vice cap Andrés Iniesta, forward Pedro RodrÃguez, Luis Suárez, 3rd captain Lionel Messi, and Neymar. The rest of the team members are forward player Rafinha, goalie Claudio Bravo, Jordi Masip, midfielder Javier Mascherano, Sergi Roberto, defense Marc bartra, Douglas, Jordi Alba, Adriano, Dani Alves, Thomas Vermaelen, and Jérémy Mathieu.
Juventus FC: Goalie and captain Gianluigi Buffon, midfielder Rômulo, Paul Pogba, Simone Pepe, 2nd vice captain Claudio Marchisio, defense 1st vice captain Giorgio Chiellini, MartÃn Cáceres, Angelo Ogbonna, Andrea Barzagli, Paolo De Ceglie, and forward álvaro Morata. Their other members are forward Carlos Tevez, Kingsley Coman, Fernando Llorente, defense Leonardo Bonucci, Stephan Lictsteiner, Patrice Evra, Midfielder Simone Padoin, Gianluigi Buffon, Kwadwo Asamoah, Arturo Vidal, Stefano Sturaro, Roberto Pereyra, Luca Marrone, Goalie Marco Storari, Rubinho, Luca Marrone, and forward Alessandro Matri.
