A tough battle is on the cards, when two of the most potential strike forces in European football Juventus and Barcelona will come face to face in the Champions League quarter-final. The defending Italian champions will host the Spanish champions to add another feather to their almost flawless campaign so far.
In comparison to Barcelona’s MSN, Juventus have the most composed and solid defensive trio in BBC consisting of Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli. BBC will be protected by an evergreen Gianluigi Buffon who is undoubtedly one of the most fantastic keepers ever to have played this wonderful game.
Juventus have been in dominating form both domestically and in Europe. The Turin giants are comfortably placed at the top of the table and are on the verge of their sixth consecutive Scudetto. They have been in impressive form as they have leaked only two goals in the Champions League this season.
On the contrary, Barcelona have been through lots of ups and downs in this season. Luis Enrique’s side had to toil hard as they overcame a couple of hiccups to reach the quarters of the Champions League. They got thrashed 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the first stage of the pre-quarters but staged one of the superb comebacks in the second leg as they hammered the French side 6-1.
Gonzalo Higuain vs Gerard Pique
Unlike 2015 when the Catalans ran riot through the Juventus ranks, the Italian champions have a much better attack headed by Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentine forward remains one of the most potential attackers in Europe right now and has already found the net 27 times this season. The absence of Sergio Busquets could play an important role as the defensive midfielder will be absent in this match.
Gerard Pique is probably the most underrated defender for the Catalans right now. The Spanish international has been an ever presence in the Catalan backline and one could easily see what Malaga did in his absence. He could be a power horse in the Barcelona backline and will have the task to cut off the threat of Higuain.
Sami Khedira vs Andres Iniesta
Iniesta is the support system of this Barcelona team. He was excellent against Sevilla as Barcelona pulled off a 3-0 win against one of the best sides in the La Liga. Arguably he is right now one of the best central midfielders in the Barcelona ranks and loves to dictate the game from deep.
Khedira moved from Real Madrid to Juventus last year and since then has been an essential part of the Serie A giants. The absence of Claudio Marchisio due to injuries also helped him to cement his place in the starting lineup. Khedira needs to be very cautious to cut off the supply line of Iniesta.
MSN Vs Gianluigi Buffon
In Buffon, Juventus have one the finest goalkeepers the world has ever seen. Buffon’s experience in the goal would come very handy against the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar (MSN). And he would be keen to use his charisma and reputation to put the South American trio off.
