Is Juventus's Giorgio Chiellini the man to stop Barcelona's MSN?

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There will be 22 players on the pitch during the Champions League final, but most of the pre-match hype has focused on just three of them: Barcelona’s striking triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, more commonly referred to as ‘MSN’.

The scalpel-sharp trident have been carving opposition defences open with ease this season, netting a whopping 120 competitive goals between them. 25 of those have come in the Champions League, with Messi (10) leading the goalscoring charts.

Luis Enrique needs his strike trio to be at their very best for the final meeting with Juventus, though not for the reasons one might expect. Granted, the goalscoring contributions of Messi, Suarez and Neymar are crucial, but in the final it's their work off the ball that could be crucial against a team that has done tremendously well to reach the final.

Massimiliano Allegri deserves huge credit for Juventus’ progression to Berlin. The Italian succeeded compatriot Antonio Conte and has done the impossible by bettering the exploits of the man who is now Italy head coach. The 47-year-old guided Juventus to the Scudetto at a canter and, after securing Coppa Italia glory at Lazio’s expense, will hope to wrap up a successful debut season at the club with a Champions League winners’ medal.

Having overseen a switch from Conte’s 3-5-2 formation to a 4-3-1-2, in the process allowing Carlos Tevez, Alvaro Morata and Paul Pogba to flourish, the defence also now seem better at limiting their opponents.

The onus remains on Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini to hold the fort in front of Gianluigi Buffon, bu Chiellini's role has altered marginally since the swap to a back four. The experienced Italian is now charged with instigating passing moves from defence, particularly in Europe, something that's highlighted by the fact that only Toni Kroos (810) and Xabi Alonso (790) made more successful passes in the Champions League this season than Chiellini (773).

The average number of passes the 30-year-old plays per game in Europe’s elite competition has risen significantly this campaign (71.9) from last (58.8). With Chiellini having played the most forward passes (346) in the Champions League this season, the Italy international is evidently the go-to guy when Juventus aim to instigate attacks from defence.

That's where the MSN come in. It’s crucial that Messi, Suarez and Neymar close Chiellini down quickly rather than allow the Juventus vice-captain a chance to settle. Should that happen, Chiellini can give the likes of Pogba, Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo the opportunity to get on the ball and open up the Barcelona defence.

The Spanish champions, though, have what it takes to limit Chiellini’s influence, with Messi in particular exhibiting the necessary attributes off the ball to stifle the Juventus centre-back. Messi has won possession in the attacking third more times (12) than any other player in the Champions League this season. Neymar has done so eight times and Suarez is surprisingly last of the trio, with 5, with the Uruguayan and Chiellini set to resume rivalries for the first time since the 2014 World Cup. It’s a battle to leave any and every football fan salivating. And possibly also Suarez, if he bites Chiellini again.

Barcelona’s front three need to be at their tenacious best in order to avoid being put on the back foot by Juventus. It is vital they work tirelessly when not in possession in order to cut off the supply to Allegri's attackers.

Chiellini has won numerous admirers for his no-nonsense approach to defending in the competition at times this season, as well as suffering a few slip-ups in the most literal sense, but it is his passing ability that could help reunite the Old Lady with the Champions League trophy for the first time since 1996.