[finza_13]

Peace Cup Final Preview: Juventus - Aston Villa
The two best sides of the Peace Cup will fight for the title on Sunday, as Juve take on Aston Villa...

2 Aug 2009 00:44:01

Brilliant Bianconeri

The 2009 Peace Cup has brought a whole host of top class teams together, but in truth, Juventus have been a cut above the rest. Going into the final, they remain the only team with a perfect record, having dispatched of Sevilla, Seongnam Ilhwa and Real Madrid respectively. While some of the other teams have left the tournament with more questions than answers, Juve look set for their best season in recent memory.

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect for The Old Lady has been the seamless transition that the three major new signings have made into the team. Fabio Cannavaro already looks a far more assured figure than he ever did at the Bernabeu, even managing to score against his former club after just three minutes. Meanwhile, Diego has got his first goal (although he has since got injured), while Felipe Melo has been solid in midfield.

The 2-1 win over Real Madrid, their third against Los Merengues in the last year, confirmed that Juve will be a force to reckon with this season. With Martin Caceres and perhaps others still to join, things can only get better. They appear to be peaking at just the right time, which can only be bad news for Aston Villa.

Just Enough

In contrast to Juve, Aston Villa's progress to the final has been quite complicated, but no-one can deny that they deserve to be there. After a disappointing 1-0 loss to Malaga in their opening match, they battled to beat Atlante 3-1, topping the group on goal difference in the process. A clinical 2-1 win over Porto then ensured that they would make the showpiece occasion on Sunday.

There have certainly been some obstacles along the way, not least Stilliyan Petrov's injury and Emile Heskey's sending off in the last game, but Villa's determination will certainly have pleased Martin O'Neill. With the Premier League season inching ever closer, time is running out for side's to finalize their preparations. Regardless of the final result, O'Neill will surely feel that the Peace Cup has provided plenty of positives for his side.

Therefore, the match against Juventus is clearly Villa's most important thus far. For a side with genuine designs on breaking into the "Top Four", it should provide a fair gauge of their current level. Expect a close contest, for as Martin O'Neill's touchline antics against Atlante proved, Villa are ready to take on anyone.

FORM GUIDE

Juventus

Jul 31 Juventus 2-1 Real Madrid (Peace Cup)

Jul 28 Juventus 3-0 Seongnam (Peace Cup)

Jul 24 Sevilla 1-2 Juventus (Peace Cup)

Jul 21 Juventus 1-1 Vicenza (Friendly)

Jul 19 Nancy 1-1 Juventus (Friendly)

Aston Villa

Jul 31 Aston Villa 2-1 Porto (Peace Cup)

Jul 29 Aston Villa 3-1 Atlante (Peace Cup)

Jul 25 Malaga 1-0 Aston Villa (Peace Cup)

Jul 21 Colchester 2-2 Aston Villa (Friendly)

TEAM NEWS

Juventus

Claudio Marchisio, Momo Sissoko, Paolo De Ceglie and Diego are all unavailable.

Probable Starting XI - Buffon - Grygera, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Salihamidzic - Tiago, Melo, Camoranesi, Giovinco - Amauri, Del Piero

Aston Villa

Stilliyan Petrov is injured, while Emile Heskey is suspended.

Probable Starting XI - Friedel - Shorey, Cuellar, Davies, Lichaj - Albrighton, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Bannan - Young, Carew

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Juventus - Having worked his way back to full fitness, Felipe Melo will be ready to show what he is made of, and can be expected to make life very tough for the Villa midfield.

Aston Villa - In the absence of Heskey, much of the attacking burden will fall upon Ashley Young, who will want to prove himself against one of Europe's best teams.

PREDICTION

Aston Villa have made life difficult for everyone in this tournament, so it should be a close contest. However, Juventus have been the best side thus far, and should have enough to lift the trophy.

Juventus 3-1 Aston Villa

Arjun Miglani, Goal.com