Ajax versus Juventus
Who still dares to underestimate the underdog called Ajax? Hakim Ziyech and Dusan Tadic have proven to be really hard to defend; playing between the lines as false strikers. The dutch superstar generation with Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong have both proven that they can compete with the best, Modric can tell you a story or two about that. Ajax have taken the lead in the national competition and are in the final for the national cup; they will enter this match with a lot of confidence.
Juventus is defined this year by four words: Cristiano Ronaldo and Champions League. The incredible story that began with €100m had it’s highlight in the near impossible of three goals by Ronaldo against Atletico Madrid. How many highlights are yet to come and who thinks that Juventus isn’t one of the top contenders for the title? Cristiano seems to be fit in time for this match and the coach Max Allegri can rely on a strong bench, with the upturn in form of players such as Emre Can and Federico Bernardeschi.
This encounter looks like a revival of the late 90’s when the two teams faced off against each other in the final and semi finals. Those encounters were both won by Juventus. Though a lot of their matches ended up in a draw and we wouldn’t be surprised if we would see a similar scenario for this year’s edition as well, with a draw in the Johan Cruijff Arena and Juventus finishing things in the Allianz Stadium.
Manchester versus United Barcelona
You can let loose all the statistics you want on this match, but Barcelona has Messi and statistics don’t apply on this man. With Real Madrid winning the last three editions of the Champions League, you can be assured Barcelona will take this opportunity to seize the crown with both hands. Thus far, Barcelona has not faced any real competition and we fear for Manchester United not being able to withstand the football power of arguably the strongest team in the world.
Though they might outsmart them! Manchester United has slain some mentionable giants on the road to this match though, notably PSG and Juventus who were both the stronger team on the pitch but still didn’t get out on top. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, The red devils might perform another Houdini act. In Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford, Manchester United does have the attacking power to hurt Barcelona.
History doesn’t offer much comfort with two encounters in the finals of the Champions League in 2009 and 2011, with Barcelona winning both. Then again, lust for revenge can serve as fuel for the upcoming match!
