Barcelona are overwhelming favourites but Juventus can win the Champions League final by playing to their strengths

Barcelona are overwhelming favourites but are not unbeatable, writes Richard Jolly

Juventus' French midfielder Paul Pogba takes part in a training session on June 1, 2015 at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, five days ahead of the Uefa Champions League final against Barcelona. Marco BeShow more

While Massimiliano Allegri has moved Juventus away from his predecessor Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 formation, the probability is that he will revert to their old shape in Saturday’s Uefa Champions League final.

Allegri will see it as the best way to try to halt Barcelona’s 120-goal strike force of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Yet if Giorgio Chiellini's thigh injury seems a huge blow, it is worth remembering that Juventus prospered against a similarly star-studded Real Madrid in the semi-finals with a back four. Chiellini's replacement, Andrea Barzagli, is a World Cup winner who was a stalwart of Conte's starting XI.

The key for the Juventus defence is to be tight and narrow, ensuring there is no space in behind them for Suarez to exploit, and tucking full-backs Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner in as tight as possible to make it harder for Messi, Andres Iniesta and co to thread passes through any gaps.

Juventus may need to be perfect at the back in a test of organisation, concentration and determination if they are to win the competition for a third time. But these are age-old strengths of Italian teams.

The upside of Chiellini’s injury is that manager Allegri can keep his midfield diamond that has proven to be so successful for him and his side.

Barcelona have been accustomed to out-passing opponents and can be expected to have the lion’s share of possession. Yet Juventus should have a numerical advantage in midfield.

The man it could free is their finest passer, Andrea Pirlo. The veteran is most able to dictate play from deep when he is not marked and, if Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Iniesta are occupied by Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio respectively, that could free up Pirlo to cause his opponents a lot of problems. The veteran's task, then, with passes of typically elegant penetration, is to release Vidal, Carlos Tevez or Alvaro Morata.

Set pieces have long been a way to defeat more talented teams and, while Barcelona overwhelmed Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, it nonetheless offered some ­encouragement.

Mehdi Benatia headed in a corner kick in the Allianz Arena. Apart from Busquets and Gerard Pique, Barcelona are not a tall team, and neither are they one blessed with too many obvious set-piece markers.

Even without Chiellini, Juventus should have more aerial targets in the box. In Pirlo, in particular, they have a free kick and corner taker who has the precision to find teammates in the penalty area.

Tellingly, his set-piece deliveries led to Evra’s equaliser in their recent Coppa Italia win.

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