Luis Enrique challenges Barca´s ´unique generation´

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has challenged his “unique set of players” to rise to the occasion and create history by winning Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final with Juventus. 

No club in European football has won the treble twice, but that is what is at stake for Luis Enrique’s men at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. 

In a quirk of fate, Massimiliano Allegri’s Juve are also in the hunt for a trophy treble this season to add another fascinating subplot to the biggest game in club football. 

Speaking at his pre-match media conference, Luis Enrique said: “We’ve got where we set out to and now we hope to leave an important mark in the club’s history.

“I think we will have more possession; we hope to spend more time in their half. We’ll have to play at a high level, it’s going to be a difficult match.

“Juve have a very similar style to ours, they also need the ball. They’re very good in defence, they’re very resourceful and that’s why they’re in the same position as us – they can win the treble too. We’ll have to see what happens.

“We’ve scored lots of goals in the Champions League but we know finals are very different; there’s a lot of tension so we’ll have to block that out.

“We know that throughout the match we’ll find a Juve who wants to have the ball and they’re going to pressure us. Who will win depends on who adapts better to those situations.

“We have a unique set of players, a unique generation given the number of trophies Barcelona have won. I hope we see a great final, an open fun game – that would be great for football, and the one who wins would be the better side.

“I don’t think we can compare what we have and the other doesn’t – we’re both here in the final and can write history for our clubs.

“Each team has its own identity, its virtues and weak points. I think this is going to be one of the best matches you can watch – the champions of Italy and Spain. It’s going to be a spectacle of football.”