Appointment with history. Juventus is ready to plunge into the hell of the Camp Nou with the awareness of being one step away from eliminating Barcelona, to then aim decisively for the final in Cardiff. The 3-0 in the first leg would give ample guarantees against anyone, but not here: because if there is a team accustomed to comebacks it is Luis Enrique's, already capable of overturning a 0-4 loss in the previous round of PSG.
The Catalans know the power of their stadium, it is no coincidence that they have been going on for a week to evoke the great feats they have been capable of, partly to intimidate Juve and partly to convince themselves that this time too they will be the winners .
“We already know that we will have to score 5 goals and we are able to score even 3 in as many minutes – Luis Enrique's speech – It will be a memorable evening, we want a climate of sporting madness. We'll score the first goal, the second the stadium, the third will come by itself... It's difficult but possible, that's why I don't want to use the word miracle."
A lot of security, however, does not go well with Barcelona in recent times and not only for the bad match in Turin: the Blaugrana are distant relatives of the invincible army of a few years ago and Juve starts from an advantage of however important proportions.
“We didn't come here just to defend ourselves, we'll play to score goals – explained Allegri – We'll need a lucid and cold performance, we know their defensive weaknesses and we'll try to exploit them. I don't know if Luis Enrique really believes in what he says but my players know how to behave ”.
The message is loud and clear: it is forbidden to defend oneself with a white weapon and thus give hope to the opponents, it is better to play calmly and strike at the right moment. The bianconeri have everything to make it and if they manage to isolate themselves from the bedlam of the Camp Nou they will have done most of the work.
Allegri is not joking and in fact is determined to confirm the 4-2-3-1 type, that is to say with all the forwards on the pitch. Formation identical to that of the first leg with Buffon in goal, Dani Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini and Alex Sandro in defence, Khedira and Pjanic in midfield, Cuadrado, Dybala and Mandzukic in the trocar behind Gonzalo Higuain.
Pre-tactical ordinance instead for Luis Enrique, who hasn't yet decided whether to line up with a 4-3-3 or with a 3-4-3. He probably leans towards the second hypothesis, with Ter Stegen between the posts, Piqué, Mascherano and Jordi Alba in the back, Sergi Roberto, Busquets, Iniesta and Rakitic in the midfield, Messi, Suarez and Neymar in the offensive trident.
Referee of the match the Dutch Kuipers, the one who in 2012 helped eliminate Allegri's Milan by assigning two penalties (especially the second one) a bit like this to the Catalans: an element that the Juventus coach hopes he will not have to take into account.
