​ When Juventus were beaten 3-1 by Barcelona in 2015's Champions League final, the situation was a strange one.





Many pundits and seemed to treat the Old Lady as plucky underdogs that should have been proud to have made it so far, but shouldn't be disheartened to have lost in the final. The Barcelona team that won was unquestionably the world's best at the time, and by the full time whistle, there could be no doubt who the deserved winner was.





Despite this, Juventus proved a lot of people wrong that night; they defied the defensive stereotype so often thrown towards Italian football, attacking the game from the first whistle, and even equalised after going behind.

Any one of these things against Luis Enrique's Barcelona would be grounds for praise, but the Bianconeri managed it in the biggest club game in world football.





What remains more remarkable is that since the fixture, Juventus may well have improved further than their Catalan counterparts. Luis Enrique is feeling the pressure following a tepid run of form for Barca, with Lionel Messi's free kick taking being one of the only (although admittedly incredible) bright spot, as they adrift of Real Madrid in La Liga.





Juve, meanwhile, are streets ahead at the summit of Serie A, having invested in a vast amount following the departures of key players like Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba.

Both Juventus and Barca won their Champions League groups, with the Bianconeri doing so undefeated, but Barcelona's capitulation in Paris last week has made it look impossible for them to progress. Even if a miracle were to occur and the two teams hypothetically meet later in the competition, it could be argued that Juve would be favourites, not simply for the tie, but for the tournament as a whole.





Last year's Real Madrid side were by no means the best side in the tournament, but were doubtlessly very functional under head coach Zinedine Zidane, scraping to glory against Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid in a penalty shootout.





It is important to recognise that even last year, Juventus were a more versatile team than the eventual winners, only exiting the competition because of a cruel draw against Bayern Munich, and being cruelly put out by their own on-loan player Kinglsey Coman following a riotous period of extra time.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri deserves great credit for the Bianconeri's surprising versatility. Initially appointed amid a haze of scepticism, the man that was once put on eBay by angry AC Milan fans when he was their manager has continued and expanded on Antonio Conte's philosophies, creating a team that is comfortable playing with 3 or 4 at the back, as well as in possession or on the counter.





Allegri can be credited as having developed Leonardo Bonucci into the world's best ball-playing defender, even utilising him as a libero at times in the aforementioned 3 man defence. It's reported he won't feature against Porto on Wednesday however, after a fall out between the two.

Reports from Turin that Leonardo Bonucci would be left in the stands for Champions League clash with Porto after row with Allegri on weekend — Ed Malyon (@eaamalyon) February 21, 2017

Allegri has also managed to mould Claudio Marchisio into something resembling a replacement for Andrea Pirlo following his return from a long term injury. His man management also reaches newer members of the squad, having restored some confidence to Chelsea failure Juan Cuadrado, as well as adjusting Sami Khedira to a more adventurous, box-to-box role in central midfield.





He has also turned marquee summer signing - and one of Europe's most notorious "confidence players" - Gonzalo Higuain, back onto the right path, following a questionable start to the season.





The affect he's had on older players bodes incredibly well for his development of youth too, as he is currently blessed with two of Europe's most exciting prospects in Paulo Dybala and Daniele Rugani. Both have come up big in big matches this season.

Juventus' versatility comes into play when considering their standing in Serie A. Having been totally dominant for five seasons on the bounce in Italy, one could suggest that the heightened quality of the Champions League would be a harsh jump for the Old Lady to make.





Yet Juventus are capable of winning matches in multiple ways; their Italian defensive core has always been the bedrock of their successes, meaning that they can effectively shut out basically any team in world football if they want to, as was seen in 2015's campaign when they made weathering Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid in the semi-finals look bewilderingly comfortable.





Their current defensive record at their home stadium is staggering, having won 27 matches in a row, and until last month's Coppa Italia win over Atalanta, Juve hadn't conceded more than one goal per match at home - in any competition - for almost a calendar year.

2 - Juventus have conceded 2 goals at home for the 1st time since the game against Bayern Munich in Feb 2016. Hard-fought. #JuveAtalanta — OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) January 11, 2017

The most prominent reason Juventus should be considered contenders for the Champions League is because they have now returned to the midfield balance that was afforded to them by Vidal, Pogba, and Pirlo, with multiple goal outlets to compensate for the departures of Morata and Tevez.





Compare this to the rest of Europe's best. Real Madrid look far from indestructible, Atletico are struggling for consistency, Barcelona have a four-goal deficit to overturn and are over-reliant on certain players, and Bayern Munich are playing well but don't quite seem to be clicking as many thought they would.





If there was ever a time for Juventus to conquer Europe again, it's now.

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