The final of the Champions League between Juventus and Real is a game of superlatives: the Top-players, gigantic backdrop, two competing German world champion. But also unprecedented security measures.
Real to the twelfth or Gigi Buffon for the first Time? This is a question which goes to the Champions League final in Cardiff on Saturday (20.45 CET, 20.30 PM in the DW live Ticker for this). There is the historical defence of the title, or the proceeds of Triumph? That the best conditions for a high-class Match, is out of the question. In the final of the European “king’s class” the two Teams that have just won the national championship, and both of whose squad is Packed with Top Stars: Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema on the pages real – Gianluigi Buffon, Sami Khedira, Paulo Dybala, Dani Alves and Gonzalo Higuain at Juventus meet.
Ronaldo: “We are better than Juve!”
“We are eager to play the final. It is the last step to write history,” said Kroos, who won with FC Bayern in 2013, and with Real a year ago the Henkelpott. Cardiff is also world champion colleague Khedira, the victory was Real three years ago, the Empire strives, now with his second club, the Coup. “It looks like a type and you want to prove it to yourself again,” said Khedira. “Once it’s nice, but to confirm it to themselves – and that is much, much harder. We want the Triple.”
Cristiano Ronaldo will lead his Team to the twelfth title and first title defense
The statistics, however, speaks clearly in favour of the Spaniards, or to be more precise: the final curse against the Italians. Juve have lost nine out of 14 European Cup finals, four of them in the Champions League. Real captured, however, in the case of all five of the final part also took the title. It should work this time, would be Real the first winner, manages to defend his title. “We have a historic opportunity. This is a goal of every player Real Madrid. It is a dream of ours,” said the world footballer Ronaldo, and added self-consciously: “too Much humility is not good. We are better than Juventus!”
Buffon last Chance
With his fourth success of the Portuguese would like to draw in front of 75,000 spectators with Lionel Messi & co. the same. Ronaldo, currently with 103 goals best Champions League scorer, wants to be in the year after the European championship with Portugal, the first global star that leads his team twice in a row on the summit. Fit enough, he is. Under the direction of coach Zinedine Zidane, the 32-Year-old in the League in the past season, has not been spared so often, in seven years.
Historically, the success would be but also for the Juve goalkeeper Buffon, who has won, in addition to the Henkelpott everything: the world Cup, the Europa League, as well as countless Italian Championships and cups. In the Champions League, the four-time world goalkeeper so far, twice as losers from the square, in 2003 against AC Milan and 2015 against Barcelona. This time, he wants the Chance – probably his last, because in 2018 after the world Cup final – is a take. “We will relentlessly play,” assured Buffon, and formulated full of longing: “I came up here, so that closes the circle.” He would be 39 years and 126 days, the oldest winner ever.
The Shadow Of Manchester
The Arena in Cardiff is a high-security zone
The game takes place after the attack of Manchester, for security reasons, for the first time under a closed roof. Days ago, the area around the national stadium of Wales, was converted into a high-security zone. The Park houses the main railway station are closed, and on the River Taff, which flows at the stadium, are allowed to drive boats. Around the Arena, numerous metal were set up blockades so that no vehicles come through. Sniffer dogs are in use. Drains and even the sewer system were reviewed. In the stadium, and around a strict bag ban is in place. And who wants to enter the different security zones that were set up in Cardiff, and must be able to identify themselves. The police is expected to perform in other Parts of the city. For the game, around 170,000 soccer Fans are expected, almost 100,000 of them come without a ticket to Cardiff.
On the soccer field a German Team will ensure order: referee Felix Brych and his colleagues. “According to our stakes at the world Cup in 2014 and the 2016 European championship and the final of the Europa League in 2014 it was in the past years, as a Team, our big goal is to run once the final of the Champions League,” said the 41-year-old Munich. Brychs dream is gone so is already in compliance. Another dream is about to burst on a Saturday night: either the Reals or the Gigi Buffon.
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