In the United States, arguably the most important day on the sports calendar is Super Bowl Sunday. In Europe, arguably the most important sports event that happens on a yearly basis is the UEFA Champions League Final. Saturday’s match will be aired around the world, as Juventus & Barcelona fans hope their clubs can add to their trophy cabinet.

Soccer is not always a sport for the sentimental storyline. If it was, Liverpool would have won the Premier League in 2014, and Steven Gerrard likely would’ve retired by going out on top. However, both clubs have a sentimental story to bring to Berlin this weekend. Longtime Barcelona midfielder Xavi is set to make his final appearance for the club, and the man who missed out on the Blaugrana’s 2006 triumph, but was at the core of the winning sides in 2009 & 2011, is hoping the stars will align for a “ride off into the sunset” scenario. For Juventus, they simply need to look to two players – goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon & midfielder Andrea Pirlo – who were on the 2006 Italian team that lifted the World Cup in the Olympiastadion. For those two to have won the most prestigious trophy in the sport, and then win the most prestigious club trophy, in the same venue, would be an amazing feat.

For Juventus, a win on the biggest stage would solidify their return to Europe’s elite. In 2006, the club was demoted the second tier of the Italian system, Serie B, in the wake of the infamous Calciopoli scandal. Many Italians on the team at that time were on the World Cup-winning squad, a side that defied the odds to win in unlikely circumstances. Juve had no problem returning to Serie A, and are coming off their 4th straight Scudetto championship. The Bianconeri will be heavy underdogs in 2015, but are eager to add to their two European Cups.

Barcelona also arrive in this year’s Final as domestic league champions; in fact, whoever wins will complete the storied “treble,” having won the domestic league, domestic cup, and Champions League in the same season. The Blaugrana have been the standard to which many other top clubs have been compared to for almost a decade, starting with that 2006 win in Paris. Should Barcelona win on Saturday, it would be the eighth time in 10 years that either they, or the team that beat them in the semifinals, were crowned champions of Europe. (Juventus, by contrast, can argue that they eliminated defending champions Real Madrid in the semifinals, proving perhaps that “to be the best you’ve got to beat the best.”) Lionel Messi is on the verge of an individual milestone, as no player in the modern era has scored in three separate Champions League finals. Again, Xavi will be wanting to go out on top, but things don’t always go according to plan; he was on the 2011 team that spoiled what would otherwise have been Edwin van der Sar’s farewell party at Wembley.

There are plenty of matchups to keep an eye on. One of the big blows for Juventus, though, will be the absence of Giorgio Chiellini, the defender who Luis Suarez bit in the 2014 World Cup group stage. The Uruguayan will have a reunion with Patrice Evra, after the infamous racism scandal from the 2011-12 Premier League season. And who will win the intriguing battle between Suarez/Messi/Neymar and the Italian Buffon, who at 37 might be looking to retire on top if he lifts the Cup?

My prediction: Juventus wins 2-1 for a third European title. Leave a comment below on how you think the match will go!