Buffon: We won´t be sacrificed

Gianluigi Buffon insists Juventus will be no pushovers for Barcelona in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final.

The Catalan giants head to Berlin as heavy favourites to lift the trophy for a fifth time and complete a treble, having already won La Liga and the Copa del Rey.

Juventus are seeking their own slice of history as they chase a treble of their own, but Buffon says there is no getting away from the quality possessed by Barca.

“From an objective point of view, it’s clear Barca are favourites and with merit,” he said. “They have magnificent players, special individuals, and any team with [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez and Neymar and even [Andres] Iniesta behind them – it’s impossible for them not to be favourites.

“It’s normal for them to be favourites, they are fortunate to have such magnificent players in their team. But when they play [Carlos] Tevez, [Leonardo] Bonucci, [and Andrea] Pirlo it’s clear in my opinion that we’re not going to be a victim or be sacrificed up on the altar.

“Emotion will be very present and it will play an important role in tomorrow’s match. It’s also certain that the teams playing have a lot of young players but with experience, important experience.

“That is something that will allow us to manage the situation. Regarding the beginning of the match, there could be anxiety and we could be nervous but over the 90 minutes not so much.

“In the first 10 we’ll see the teams the way they are and how they’ve played in order to get here.”

Leonardo Bonucci echoed those comments, but fears the absence of the injured Giorgio Chiellini could be keenly felt.

“We’re not here to be the sacrificial lamb, so to speak,” he added. “The loss of Chiellini on the field is important and in the dressing room. He’s been very important to our club and it’s going to be tough without him.

“But we also know we have shown an ability to overcome adversity and win when we’re not expected to. That’s what we’ll try to do tomorrow.

“We won’t worry about it, we’ll try [to] achieve this dream and try [to] win it for Giorgio and the fans.”