Juve v Barça, familiar faces

Barça and Juventus are two of the biggest clubs in Europe, and their players have a wealth of both club and country experience behind them. So it should come as no surprise that several of the players that will face of in Wednesday’s crunch Champions League encounter have shared a dressing room before, and many still do at international level.

Miralem Pjanic: Joined Barça from Juventus during the summer break, while Arthur Melo made the move in the opposite direction.

Neto: Was at Juventus for two seasons and coincided with eight players that are still at the club: Buffon, Chiellini, Bonucci, Alex Sandro, Khedira, Cuadrado, Dybala and Morata.

Leo Messi: Plays alongside Paulo Dybala for Argentina.

Però hi ha molts més possibles retrobaments. Sense anar més lluny, les dues estrelles del duel (que s'han enfrontat infinitat de vegades en una rivalitat llegendària) Leo Messi i Cristiano Ronaldo -encara pendent de si podrà disputar el partit pel positiu per covid- es retrobarien amb algunes cares conegudes. L’argentí es veurà amb un habitual company de la selecció, Paulo Dybala. Quant a Ronaldo, va compartir vestidor amb Gerard Piqué (que no podrà jugar per sanció) al Manchester United, i també és company de selecció del jove Trincao.

Gerard Piqué (who is suspended for this game) played at Manchester United at the same time as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Trincao: Plays for Portugal, as does Cristiano Ronaldo.

Philippe Coutinho: Has Brazilian international team-mates in Alex Sandro, Danilo and Arthur.

Menció especial mereixen Frenkie De Jong i Matthijs de Ligt, dos amics i excompanys a l’Ajax i que a més, continuen compartint vestidor amb la selecció holandesa, on van ser dirigits precisament per Ronald Koeman.

Griezmann, Lenglet, Dembélé and Umtiti: All play for France with Rabiot. Grizmann is also a former team-mates of Morata’s at Atlético Madrid.

Ter Stegen: Plays for the same German national side as Khedira.

Araujo: Plays for Uruguay alongside Bentancur.

Sergiño Dest: has been on the same USMNT as Weston McKennie.

Frenkie De Jong: Was at Ajax with one of his closest friends in football, Matthijs de Ligt, with whom he also teams up for Holland, managed until recently, of course, by Ronald Koeman.

Piqué, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto: are all very familiar with Morata from their experiences with the Spanish national team.