For the first time in four years there will be an FC Barcelona Champions League final appearance on 6th June 2015 in Berlin's Olympiastadion. Despite losing the second leg of the semi-final 3-2 to German champions Bayern Munich, Barcelona had done enough in the first leg with their 3-0 at the Nou Camp sufficient to see them through. In a match that was played in two very distinct halves Barcelona displayed a champions performance and kept Bayern Munich at bay fairly comfortably despite what the 3-2 score line suggests.
Barcelona were handed a scare initially when Bayern Munich's Benatia was left to head in a Xabi Alonso corner from close range to make it 1-0 after just seven minutes. But within a further 22 minutes the Barcelona attacking triumvirate of Messi, Suarez and Neymar had worked their magic to bring the score back to 2-1 in Barca's favour just before the half-hour mark.
Within 8 minutes of Bayern Munich taking the lead Barcelona's first goal came when Messi picked out Suarez with the Uruguayan simply squaring the ball to Neymar who tapped it into an empty net to round off an excellent move. This prompted a flurry of attacks from Pep Guardiola's men with both Lewandowski and Muller having attempts on goal only to find Barcelona's German goalkeeper Ter Stegen in great form.
Barcelona's second goal came just 15 minutes later as Suarez again turned provider for Brazilian international Neymar. Having broke away from the Bayern Munich defence Suarez remained calm and again found Neymar inside the area. The 23-year old also displaying a cool head to pick his spot and beat Manuel Neuer to make it 2-1. This all but sealed another FC Barcelona Champions League final appearance and for once the Allianz arena fell quiet. The sea of bold red and blue created by the 70,000 fans wearing the Bayern Munich home shirt were stunned by their teams collapse and evidently feared the worst with the half-time aggregate score 5-1 in Barcelona's favour.
The second half was an entirely different story and with Bayern Munich in need of something miraculous Luis Enrique substituted Suarez who had felt some discomfort before the break. The plan was to shut down the game and see out the final 45 minutes. For the most part Enrique's plan was successful, but just before the hour mark Robert Lewandowski struck to make it 2-2 giving his side the faintest glimmer of hope. With 74 minutes on the clock the Bayern Munich fans went sent into a frenzy when star striker Thomas Muller gave his side a 3-2 lead making the aggregate score 5-3 to Barca. Luis Enrique's side held on however and Neymar even managed to spurn a golden chance for a rare Champions League semi final hat-trick when he unselfishly tried to set up Messi instead of taking on a shot himself.
So, there will now be an FC Barcelona Champions League final appearance for the fourth time in less than ten years. The 2015 Champions League final will be the first time Barcelona have appeared since Pep Guardiola was in charge and they beat Manchester United back in 2011. Before this the club had managed two previous Champions League final matches, both of which they won. Frank Rijkaard's men beat Arsenal in 2006 and again Manchester United were the victims in 2009 when Guardiola took charge of his first Champions League final, the final score 2-0.
Following the semi-final Barcelona manager Luis Enrique briefly heaped praise on his side before quickly moving on to state that they are now "on a mission" to secure an historic treble by winning the La Liga title, the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League final. Another FC Barcelona Champions League final appearance is merely a tick in the box for Enrique who has impressed in his first season at the Nou Camp.
The former Roma boss has guided the team through the 2014-15 season admirably and now stands on the brink of an historic treble in his first season. Many pundits have been impressed by Barcelona's organisation and fitness this season and Enrique has been universally praised for his rotation and use of the squad. This was not the case earlier in the season however when it was reported that there was unrest in the Barcelona dressing room. This problem now looks to be solved and the team spirit at Barcelona seems sky high given their position across all three competitions with just three more wins required for the treble.
The fourth FC Barcelona Champions League final appearance in less than 10 years will see them go up against the winner of the second semi-final between Juventus and Real Madrid. The Italian champions take a 2-1 aggregate lead into the second-leg clash at the Bernabeu stadium but many circles believe that an El Clasico final will be on the cards. Barcelona and Real Madrid have never faced each other in the Champions League final before and the prospect of the sides meeting in Berlin next month is mouthwatering.
Barcelona have been drawn as the away team for the final so it is likely that they will not wear their famous red and blue kit for the match. Juventus will wear their black and white stripes should they progress, and of course Real Madrid will use their classic all-white kit if they are successful. Therefore, it appears that Barcelona will be seen on the 6th June 2015 in either the two-tone third shirt worn against Bayern Munich or the bold orange Barcelona away shirt.
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