So exciting.

A team arguably has the best defense, on form with the best goalie vs a team who just made one of the greatest comeback of all time (with controversy so relax guys), with a few best attackers on the Planet (but shaky defend).

I think:

• It's gonna be so intense
• Barca should REALLY learn from their mistakes in the first round against PSG & last week shameful defeat. With Busquet (a super off-form player) suspended, it might be good for them. But Sergio Roberto, I dont know I just dont feel like he's playing right, terrible everytime I watch Barca. Masc will be in the mid, dont know if he still has it there... And certainly Messi will drop VERY DEEP to create chances.
• Juventus system is made to kill such team like Barca, UNLESS Barca has a plan.
• Both teams are tricky enough to make the referee's job becomes extremely hard
• Cant' wait to see Messi and Neymar perform against a solid, on form Italian defense.

Juve 2 - 1 Barca

What do you guys think?

@Emo: of course I saw the first half. I saw all of it. And it went exactly like how I predicted. Again, Barca played against a top defending team who only conceded 2 goals so far.

My point was I dont get why in the slightest you said Barca were too busy begging for card and penalty. They simply did not. Even the pen (hand ball on Chiellini) when thry needed it most, they didnt really chase the ref.

Barca created some nice chances and couldnt finish it, they had a decent amount of attempt. Only that Juventus was superior.

Uhmn, I forgot. Hazard's international career is pretty lame.

I didnt see Dybala take over the game. I would give him 5/5* for sure. Sublime performance. But Juventus was sublime, too. Dybala had 2 super finishes. But he didnt create them himself, didnt tear defender apart. Hazard did a lot of times.

Out of curiosity, if Buffon hadnt been so good or Iniesta and Suarez were more clinical, do you guys still think Barca sucked so bad? I mean Juve had 4 or 5 good chances, they scored 3. AT HOME. Barca had 3 or 4, NO goal.

@Sunflash And you didn't back me up after all. :( You badger.

Yes, Barca cry to the ref all game. Some things are so obvious that they don't need saying. Messi specifically was gesturing for cards only 15 minutes in.

Out of curiosity, if Buffon hadnt been so good or Iniesta and Suarez were more clinical, do you guys still think Barca sucked so bad? I mean Juve had 4 or 5 good chances, they scored 3. AT HOME. Barca had 3 or 4, NO goal.

Juve had a goal wrongly ruled offside in the second half and really controlled the game. I don't think 4-0 would've been a fair result, but it would've been tough to argue with. As for Buffon's save, he's Buffon. If he's playing in Barca's net, those first two goals don't go in. Not exactly a throwaway point.

@Tuan I'm pretty sure me and Sun had agreed on something but now that you say it I don't remember seeing Barca going that much for a yellow or pen (I'm going senile at 22, yes!). Still, have to say Barca looked pretty lazy and as if they didn't even wanted to play that game, only Messi and Neymar standed out as wanting to do something about the score. In my opinion, Barca were never going to achieve anything with the mentality they had. I just feel the team wich were the most ready won the game. Also, tiki was right about Gomes, he was pointless on the field. He just doesn't fit into the Barca squad in my opinion. I don't remember who did it, but someone actually called him the Fellaini of Barca. XD

@Sunflash Amen to what you said about Buffon and the score, would give you a +1 if I could. :D That make me think though, isn't Barca actually more in need of a world class goalkeeper than Real Madrid?

@Sun: ohhh man. I have nothing to response to that. Ok, then.

@Emo: true that. I dont think Barca would get anywhere either. The 2 great chamces they had came out of Messi and another from Neymar run, mostly individual.

@Sun: yes, that was a wrongly offside goal. But before that if Barca was awarded a rightful pen. Could be 1 3. Decent result and they wouldnt have had to push so much and be too vulnerable in the back. It could be 4 0 or 3 1.

Lol yes, Barca needs a world class goalie. Never seen Ter Segen pulled out a jaw dropping game...

Hazards international career is pretty lame? Well if he wasn't playing for Belgium but lets say France he would have a better career, Belgium is a much smaller team so who do you compare them with?

@tuan Agreed, the score could have been completely different if the ref would have made different decision or if either of the team would send more player foward toward the end. Was a great game to watch though. :D Juventus played well but its too bad that Barca only chance came from individual brillance.

@Sun Thanks for backing me up after all Sun, sorry for calling you a badger, hope you don't mind it. XD

@Golazo Its not that his career in Belgium is lame, its simply that he get outshined by his team-mate in the national team, might be cause his playstyle is not as effective with the game plan the Belgium national team have in fact. :D

@Sun: yes, that was a wrongly offside goal. But before that if Barca was awarded a rightful pen. Could be 1 3. Decent result and they wouldnt have had to push so much and be too vulnerable in the back. It could be 4 0 or 3 1.
Lol yes, Barca needs a world class goalie. Never seen Ter Segen pulled out a jaw dropping game...

That was a handball, but I personally wouldn't have given the pen. It's not like Bonnuci directed the ball onto his arm, it had just come off his face. But if it had been given, I wouldn't have had a problem with it either. It's one of those that's down to the refs opinion. In reality, the lack of a red card given to Mandzukic was the greater missed call.

Ter Segen is a good keeper, but that's it. The reality is that Barcalona has not had an elite world-class keeper in my lifetime - imagine how frightening they would have been/be if they did.

Hazards international career is pretty lame? Well if he wasn't playing for Belgium but lets say France he would have a better career, Belgium is a much smaller team so who do you compare them with?

Despite the inherent fallibility of world rankings, Belgium was ranked first in them for a considerable period of time. Their current roster could be described as a "golden generation" Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, Fellaini, Courtios, Nainggolan, Kompany, Alderweireld, Mertens, this is a team of players who all start for top 7 clubs in the top 4 leagues. In terms of roster alone, they are subjectively superior to teams such as England, Uruguay, Chile, Portugal, Italy, Wales, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc. The only teams in the world that have a stronger starting roster atm would be France, Brazil, Spain, Germany, and Argentina imo. They're pretty damn strong. But much as is the case for Chelsea in those critical CL games, no one steps forward for them in big tournaments. If Hazard turned on the jets with them, they'd be a semifinalist in ever major competition.

@Sun Thanks for backing me up after all Sun, sorry for calling you a badger, hope you don't mind it. XD

I consider it a complement.

@Sunflash

I consider it a complement.

If you say it like this, I'll keep calling you that now. XD

Its not that his career in Belgium is lame, its simply that he get outshined by his team-mate in the national team, might be cause his playstyle is not as effective with the game plan the Belgium national team have in fact. :D

I think their national team lacks experience and tradition, a very good example was the game vs Italy at the Euro 2016, Belgium were all hot-headed attacking and trying hard to score and then classic Italian style got them on the break twice and sealed the game.

Their current roster could be described as a "golden generation" Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, Fellaini, Courtios, Nainggolan, Kompany, Alderweireld, Mertens, this is a team of players who all start for top 7 clubs in the top 4 leagues. In terms of roster alone, they are subjectively superior to teams such as England, Uruguay, Chile, Portugal, Italy, Wales, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc.

That's often not enough, big names don't make big teams just because. But they did qualify to the World Cup and played in the quarter finals, after not even playing in the World Cup 2010 and 2006.

That's often not enough, big names don't make big teams just because. But they did qualify to the World Cup and played in the quarter finals, after not even playing in the World Cup 2010 and 2006.

Either way, Belgium is not a "small" team.

Lmao come on sun im waiting for you to reply on my comment :D

Much smaller than Italy,England,France,Germany,Spain when it comes to Europe.
At least at the world wide view they get less respect so Hazard not winning anything with Belgium yet is not an issue, it took one Cristiano Ronaldo all these years to do it for Portugal.
With their golden generation they did pretty decent at the last World Cup and if they continue the same path in the current qualifications they will play at the World Cup in Russia too, most likely already that can be 99% secured.

I feel people can have a blind eye for a big team like Argentina and Messi failing to win but others are quick to point out that Hazard didn't impress for Belgium, you have to put things into the right context, for Argentina is really expected to win every single tournament they play and Belgium after missing 2 World Cups now has a generation that came to the quarter finals of the last World Cup, for a country with just over 11 million people it's good progress.

i mean...belgium is a small team. they have big names but they're a small team imo. they've never won anything.

Can dybala score a goal like hazard scored against arsenal? Probably not.

Can Hazard score a goal like Dybala scored against Barcelona? Probably not.

Didn't hazard win us the game against one of our most important game against city?
Don't come with city is not good enough because city won vs barca 3-1 and hazard scored 3 goals against them this season.

Gotze scored in the world cup final and won the world cup, so by dynastians logic that means that gotze is better than messi and ronaldo.

Didn't Dybala win Juventus (what is probably) their most important game this season? Don't come with Barcelona is not good enough because they beat City 4-0 and Dybala just scored 2 goals against them.

Sorry, I was just using your reasoning here... you know, since you tried to use my reasoning to make that point about Gotze.

City also lost 9 times this season - two of those being 4-0 defeats. They've actually lost 2 more games this season than Madrid and Bayern have combined. City's record vs. the Top 7 in England is also 2-4-6. Not a very good example to use.

I'm drifting off-topic. Great game from Juventus, I think this is going to go down as a Champions League classic. Odds of Barcelona defeating Juventus are slimmer than PSG, but hey you never know what will happen. We thought the odds of them beating PSG were near impossible just one month ago...

City also lost 9 times this season - two of those being 4-0 defeats. They've actually lost 2 more games this season than Madrid and Bayern have combined. City's record vs. the Top 7 in England is also 2-4-6. Not a very good example to use.

But wait, you are saying that Hazard scoring twice vs Manchester City is invalid and not impressive but Dybala scoring twice vs Barcelona that lost 4:0 away vs PSG and 2:0 away vs Malaga just days ago means that Dybala did something impressive?
In that context I can argue that Dybala scoring vs Barcelona is not a big deal either.

@ dynastian you asked if hazard is able to take over an important game and i gave u a match where he did it.

:D

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Blo9QAJTlDk

i don't understand why people care about hazard in this forum discussion. this is about the recent CL game. i think some of you have a hazard hard-on