Juventus carry all the pressure

AJAX v Juventus, reigning champions versus local heroes, laid back Dutchmen against uptight Italians, attack minded creativity against athletic power, home grown talents against mercenary millionaires.

Call it which way you like, tonight's Champions' Cup Final at the Olympic Stadium in Rome has all the makings of a modern classic.

This is the final everyone wanted and no one wants to call. Will the arguably superior Dutch technique get hurried out of its game by a Juventus side which has made workrate and closing down opponents its winning card? Will the sometimes fragile Dutch defence survive the three pronged attack of Fabrizio Ravanelli, Gianluca Vialli and Alessandro Del Piero?

These two aristocrats of European club soccer last met in a European Champions' Cup Final in Belgrade in 1973. On that occasion, Johnny Rep settled the issue in Ajax's favour after only four minutes to enable the legendary side of Cruyff, Neeskens, Krol, et al, to collect its third successive Champions' Cup title, after a game in which they became bored with their own domination.

That defeat and the early Rep goal proved a major shock to a Juventus camp that had already been baffled by the laid back Dutch players, who turned up at the pre match training camp, complete with their wives and families.

Even more difficult for the Italians was the relaxed post match attitude of the Dutch, who sent the Cup home to Amsterdam wrapped in the dirty kit chest.

History may perhaps be repeating itself, at least in the build up to tonight's game. Since the Italian season ended 10 days ago.

Juventus have been in retreat, involved in secret training sessions and lengthy video analysis of themselves and their opponents. Since the Dutch season ended, Ajax have been off on a week's holiday prior to resuming training exactly one week ago.

The different approaches to the game may, in the end, mean little. Yet, Ajax coach Luis Van Gaal certainly underlined the importance of the "psych factor" this week: "For us, this is just a final. For Juventus, this is the final."

Van Gaal, like his opposite number Marcello Lippi, knows only too well that big games like this can be won or lost long before players step onto the pitch, and clearly he hopes his relaxed attitude will not only help his players perform to their best but will also intimidate a Juventus side which is under heavy geographic, emotional and historic pressure.

The pressure of recent history comes from the fact that the only occasion on which Juventus won the Champions Cup came in the infamous 1985 Heysel Disaster final against Liverpool, when 39 Juventus fans were killed in riots sparked off by Liverpool fans.

To some extent, the Juventus players feel they will playing to redeem that night by winning the Cup in a clean match rather than one stained by the blood of fans.

Geographic pressure comes from the fact that Juventus will be the seventh Italian club to feature in the last eight Champions' Cup finals and they will be doing so on home ground, in front of a 67,000 strong crowd predominantly on their side. Furthermore, it would give Juventus no small amount of pleasure to win against Ajax, where their great rivals, AC Milan, failed (beaten 1-0) last year.

Although both coaches were sounding optimistic yesterday, it would at first glance seem that Lippi is in a stronger position than Van Gaal. At the end of a tough league season, Lippi can call on his ideal first choice side, featuring the Vialli Ravanelli Del Piero attacking trident, prompted by Portugal's Paulo Sousa and Frenchman Didier Deschamps in midfield.

In contrast, Van Gaal is almost certain to start the game without two normal first choice players, 19 year old striker Patrick Kluivert and defender Frank De Boer.

Having said that, Van Gaal can still field a side of stunning talent that includes the experienced Finn Jari Litmanen masterminding the attack with the Nigerians Nwankwo Kanu and Georges Findi, while midfielders Ronald De Boer and Edgar Davids and defenders Danny Blind and Winston Bogarde all feature in the exciting Dutch side which is one of the favourites for next month's European Championship final's.

All that Dutch talent, however, does not worry Lippi: "I'm an optimist by nature but at the moment my optimism is based on the physical and psychological well being of my team. A side that has won as much as Ajax probably doesn't have weak points, but they've never met a side like us, a team capable of putting them under pressure.

"Let me be clear, however, our intention is to take the field determined to play our own game, not to cancel out or block our opponents' game. Of one thing I'm certain: you're going to see a very good Juventus.

To some extent, Van Gaal touched on the same theme when he said he expected the Italians to try to crowd his side out of midfield and break down their normally languid, sometimes arrogant rhythm.

"Juventus play rather defensively in the Italian league, but when it comes to the Champions' League, they tend to mark up, to sit tight on you, a bit the way Milan do," Van Gaal said "I have to say, however, that I'm very satisfied with our preparation for this game. My team needed a holiday. Generally, I'm optimistic and I also note that Litmanen is in terrific form."

In the past, eagerly anticipated games such as this have, disappointed: 11 of the last 18 finals have been decided by just one goal.