Champions League final 2015: Five reasons Barcelona will win

Barcelona go into Saturday‘s Champions League final in Berlin tipped to land themselves a treble, with the on-fire Catalans widely expected to continue their charge by demolishing yet another opponent as they win another trophy.

There are plenty of reasons to believe Barcelona will indeed triumph, and here are five that stand out:

Messi, Suarez and Neymar

The most obvious threat will be the form of Barcelona’s extraordinary front three in Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. They have a whopping 80 goals between them in Barcelona’s 35 competitive games this calendar year (one of which they were all rested for), while not one of their last 14 opponents have stopped any of them from getting on the scoresheet.

^{Neymar, Suarez and Messi have been in scintillating form}

35 of the goals they have scored in La Liga or Champions League games this season have been set up by another of the front three, with Neymar and the irrepressible Messi combining on the most occasions of any duo in both competitions (13 and three times, respectively). They average 19.3 touches in the opposition box per game this season, and if they manage anything like that many on Saturday it will be difficult to stop them finding a way past Gianluigi Buffon.

Is this team better than Pep’s treble winners?

There is no doubting the credentials of the fantastic Barcelona team that won their first treble back in the 2008/09 season, but there is something to say for the suggestion that this side is even better.

Luis Enrique’s side scores more goals (2.9 per game) than the class of 2009 (2.6) while they are also conceding fewer (0.6 compared to 0.9), therefore winning 83% of their games compared to 68% under Guardiola.

The defence

While the Barcelona attack deserve the waves of adulation thrown their way, the improvements made in defence largely go undervalued and Enrique deserves a great deal of credit for shoring up a team has in previous years had its defensive frailties exposed.
They conceded only 21 goals over a 38-game league campaign and are showing a commitment to the cause now, with their 35 shot blocks the most in this season’s Champions League. Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano are proving to be a world class central defensive partnership.

Individual brilliance

Barcelona are an incredibly well-oiled passing machine, and their combinations are their biggest strength, but they also possess astonishing potential for individual brilliance, having attempted some 401 dribbles – a full 106 more than any other team in the competition.
On top of the front three – each of whom could produce a moment of match-winning excellence – they have the likes of Andres Iniesta, whose 17 assists over the last seven Champions League seasons is bettered by only a handful of players, including Xavi, who tops the charts with 21 and will be waiting in the wings for his chance to make a contribution in his final Barcelona appearance.

^{Legends Andres Iniesta and Xavi will be hoping for more silverware}

They have Leo Messi

Realistically, all of this could prove immaterial, and the result will probably come down to whether or not Juventus can stop Messi. The Argentine is hoping to become the first player to score in three Champions League finals, while a goal would take him clear of rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the all-time scoring charts.
He has 53 goals and 23 assists in 50 league and European appearances this season, and will be desperate to add to those tallies this weekend. If he scores in yet another final, surely he will be recognised as the greatest ever. The floor is yours, Leo…