Juventus vs. Barcelona. In terms of prestige, power and tradition, the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals could hardly have contrived to pair two more emotive names during March's draw.They share a long history of battles, with their seven previous meetings resulting in three wins for the Catalan giants, two for the Bianconeri and two draws, with their last clash of course coming in the final of this competition just two years ago.Given the fluidity with which coaches are hired and fired, perhaps it is somewhat surprising to note that both clubs are still led by the same men. But while Massimiliano Allegri and Luis Enrique will need little introduction, that continuity does not extend to the starting XIs that the former will send on to the field at Juventus Stadium.Enrique, howeverafter already steering the Blaugrana to eight trophies during his three-year tenurehas already announced his decision to walk away from the club at the end of the campaign.With more silverware likely to be secured before then, the coach perhaps senses his side is coming to the end of an era. They still boast the MSNfront line of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar to fire in the goals, and with Andres Iniesta still pulling the strings in midfield, this team is simply an older version of the one that beat Juve 3-1 at Berlin's Olympiastadion in June 2015.Nine players of the starting XI from the last time these two teams met are expected to start. Of the two exceptions, one is Sergio Buquets,who will sit out the first leg through suspension, and the other is Dani Alves, who joined Juventus last summer on a free transfer.Yet everything is not quite as it once was at Camp Nou, with Spanish football expert David Cartlidge explaining to Bleacher Report just how Barcelona have evolved since they last took on the Old Lady: "The most important factor is those players who have grown in that period. I think Neymar jumps out more than anyone else. His growth, maturity and ascendancy into a player not just for the future but for the present day is significant."Overall, we see a team that has gradually grown to be more dependent on MSN as a whole for a variety of things in the attacking third. Before their responsibility was less. Juve faced MSN when they were at a period of still getting to know one another and discover the benefits of their relationship. Now they know them and how to use them best."However, this is something Juventus could exploit. Barcelona don't feel as much of a team. Instead, they are relying on specific parts. There was something more total and complete about them before that doesn't exist as strongly now. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot there in terms of team ethic and hard work. But so much goes through MSN that it leaves the team vulnerable."There is certainly a daunting task awaiting the Bianconeri, but as the Opta tweet below indicates, their record against Barca in two-legged ties is markedly better than in one-off games."This is a huge tie and completely different to the final in 2015, which was just 90 minutes long," midfielder Claudio Marchisio told Juventus official website. "This time we're playing them over two legs, and we should not even be thinking about revenge but instead about overcoming this hugely important challenge."It is not just the nature of the tie that has changed, either, with the Italian midfielder one of the few players still with the Turin giants. Indeed, nine of the 14 men who contested the 2015 showpiece for the Bianconeri have since moved on, with the club's supporters hoping that the changes will carry over to the final score.The others who remain are Gigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Stephan Lichtsteiner, with Giorgio Chiellini an injury-enforced absentee for the Berlin encounter.That meant Allegri deployed a four-man back line instead of the 3-5-2 that was the side's preferred system, but over the past two years, the coach has moved away from it almost entirely.In its place comes a 4-2-3-1 formation that brings the best from every department, starting with the prowess of left-back Alex Sandro. Arguably one of the world's best in that role, the Brazil international is defensively solid but brings a speed and quickness that was simply beyond Patrice Evra back in 2015.Furthermore, Bonucci has blossomed into arguably the continent's best central defender over the past 18 months, with his man-marking ability, leadership and distribution seeing him widely lauded for his performances for club and country.Perhaps one of the motivating factors in Allegri's tactical shift was to negate the losses Juventus have suffered in midfield. Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba have all left over the past two summers, and while those who have arrived in their place are not poor players, they are not at the level of their predecessors.But by fielding just two of Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira and Marchisio, the Juve boss allows himself to squeeze a wealth of attacking options into the starting XI. Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata were a fine pairing, but they did not carry as much threat as the quartet of Juan Cuadrado, Mario Mandzukic, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala.It is the latter pair who truly allow supporters to dream, however, with the Bianconeriboasting Serie A's record single-season goalscorer (Higuain) and a player who has already been tipped to rise to the top of European football."[Dybala] has the quality to win the Ballon d'Or one day," Allegri noted at a recent press conference. Those who watch the Serie A leaders regularly are aware of the steps the club has taken to move forward since they last played Barcelona."Since the 2015 final, we have focused on the Champions League a lot," Luca, a season-ticket holder in Juventus Stadium'sCurva Sud, told Bleacher Report. "Thats why they spent a lot of money on Higuain and Pjanic. They are determined to become one of the best [teams] in Europe once again, like they were before."That is the truth of this team, one that the club's upper management has not shied away from revealing, with president Andrea Agnelli explaining the situation to a gathering of employees and sponsors back in December, per Football Italia:I want to thank the people who are here with me, because in 2016 they couldn't have done more to write Italian football history, but this year we have to become legendary.This year we have a great privilege. To become legendary we have two paths, national and international. No one has written their name as champions of Italy six times [in a row], and to write it as European champions means becoming legendary.But standing in their way is effectively the same side that prevented them from sealing a historic moment two years ago. There is arguably no better yardstick to measure their progress against than Enrique's great team, one that will always be remembered for both the trophies it won and its style of play.For this version of the Bianconeri, one that has spent two years evolving in hope of being better able to challenge Lionel Messi and Co., they represent more than just another opponent. They are the ultimate test, a living, breathing, tiki-taka-inspired embodiment of the belief that you have to beat the best to be the best.Juventus are better than they were last time, but they must prove that they are truly ready.
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