UEFA Champions League Final: Scouting Juventus FC Forwards

The Champions League Final is just over one day away and our journey through the Juventus roster is just about complete. All that is left to look at are the five players that are plying their trade closest to the opposing goalkeeper, the forwards. Leading the ranks is the resurgent Carlos Tevez, who is having his best season since his debut campaign with Manchester City. Joining him are two Spaniards, one of which tormented his former team in the previous round of the competition, an Italian and a Frenchman.

Carlos Tévez

Carlos Tevez of Juventus FC kicks a ball during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and SS Lazio at Juventus Arena on April 18, 2015 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Position: Secondary striker
Squad No.: 10
Date of birth: 5 February 1984
Place of birth: Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height: 1.73m (5' 8'')
Weight: 75kg (165 lbs)

Games Played	47
Games Started	43
Minutes Played	3937
Goals Scored	29
Assists	9
Chances Created	95
Shots/Shots on Target	123/72
Conversion Rate	24%
Pass Accuracy	85%
Fouls	47
Fouls Won	73
Yellow Cards	12
Red Cards	0

Always one of the hardest working players on the pitch, Tevez is by a large margin the most used forward on the team. Usually playing behind a center-forward, Tevez can also lead the attacking charge on his own and has also played on the wing in his career, but very rarely since joining Juventus two seasons ago. Most of Tevez's goals are scored with his right foot, with the touch on his left lagging behind and he also isn't much of a threat in the air game, obvious because of his lack of height. The Argentine brings a lot of experience to the team and is one of the few players on the roster to have played in the final of the most prestigious club competition before, albeit in a losing effort against Barcelona. Tevez is brilliant with the ball at his feet and, the intelligent player that he is, he always seems to make the right choice whether to take the shot himself or to find a teammate with a chance-creating pass. A very complete player, Tevez can make you pay many different ways, from up close or from distance, using his great touch or with a powerful shot, or just by making an intelligent dummy run to open space for his teammates. Arguably the biggest threat for Barcelona on Saturday.

Álvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata of Juventus FC in action during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final First Leg match between Juventus and AS Monaco FC at Juventus Arena on April 14, 2015 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Position: Center-forward
Squad No.: 9
Date of birth: 23 October 1992
Place of birth: Madrid, Spain
Height: 1.87m (6' 2'')
Weight: 80kg (176 lbs)

Games Played	45
Games Started	21
Minutes Played	2231
Goals Scored	14
Assists	7
Chances Created	32
Shots/Shots on Target	66/35
Conversion Rate	21%
Pass Accuracy	73%
Fouls	50
Fouls Won	63
Yellow Cards	7
Red Cards	2

The former Real Madrid players has already taken down one Spanish giant already this season, his former team, and nothing would make him happier than scoring against the team that used to be his biggest rival. Morata was still somewhat of an unknown commodity before this season, but he's justified his transfer fee by scoring or assisting a goal roughly every 100 minutes. As expected from a tall forward, Morata is dangerous in the air game, but even though he is naturally right-footed he can score with both feet. He has also shown he can score from distance and possesses good vision, but the accuracy of his passes has sometimes been suspect. Even though Morata has been getting minutes at two of Europe's most illustrious clubs, he has showed the he can still be a bit immature, picking up two silly red cards.

Fernando Llorente

Luka Krajnc of Cesena and Fernando Llorente of Juventus in action during the Serie A match between AC Cesena and Juventus FC at Dino Manuzzi Stadium on February 15, 2015 in Cesena, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)

Position: Center-forward
Squad No.: 14
Date of birth: 26 February 1985
Place of birth: Pamplona, Spain
Height: 1.95m (6' 5'')
Weight: 90kg (198 lbs)

Games Played	44
Games Started	33
Minutes Played	2694
Goals Scored	9
Assists	4
Chances Created	33
Shots/Shots on Target	50/27
Conversion Rate	18%
Pass Accuracy	71%
Fouls	74
Fouls Won	37
Yellow Cards	0
Red Cards	0

With the 2014-15 season just about in the books Llorente can look back with a quite a bit of disappointment as he only managed to score half of the goals he did last season. Part of that is due to the emergence of new arrival Morata, but some of it is the result of poor form from the Basque forward. A physical forward that is technically very gifted and is capable of playing with his back to goal. An immense threat in the air game, but as the best forwards, Llorente too is capable of scoring with both feet as well. A proven goalscorer at the biggest stages, Llorente has a lot left to prove this season and there is no better place to correct some of the mistakes he made this season than in the Champions League Final.

Alessandro Matri

Alessandro Matri #32 of Juventus FC celebrates after scoring a goal during the TIM cup match between ACF Fiorentina and Juventus FC at Artemio Franchi on April 7, 2015 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Position: Center-forward
Squad No.: 32
Date of birth: 19 August 1984
Place of birth: Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy
Height: 1.83m (6' 0'')
Weight: 80kg (176 lbs)

Games Played	26
Games Started	17
Minutes Played	1508
Goals Scored	9
Assists	7
Chances Created	30
Shots/Shots on Target	32/19
Conversion Rate	28%
Pass Accuracy	70%
Fouls	18
Fouls Won	30
Yellow Cards	4
Red Cards	0

Brought in on loan to provide scoring depth in the winter transfer window, Matri has done a very good job in limited time on the pitch, scoring just as many goals as Llorente even though Matri has played over 1000 minutes less. But finishing wasn't in question upon his arrival, however, many other skills were. Matri is a very mobile forward, but that mobility often leads him to straying offside. His passing is also not one of his biggest assets as he misses his intended target more often than any other player on the team. Though not the tallest of players, Matri is physically strong enough to be a force in the air game.

Kingsley Coman

Kingsley Coman of Juventus FC in action during the Serie A match between Parma FC and Juventus FC at Stadio Ennio Tardini on April 11, 2015 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Position: Secondary striker
Squad No.: 11
Date of birth: 13 June 1996
Place of birth: Paris, France
Height: 1.78m (5' 10'')
Weight: 71kg (156 lbs)

Games Played	19
Games Started	9
Minutes Played	648
Goals Scored	1
Assists	2
Chances Created	7
Shots/Shots on Target	12/3
Conversion Rate	8%
Pass Accuracy	78%
Fouls	17
Fouls Won	15
Yellow Cards	0
Red Cards	0

The low-man on the Juventus depth chart, Coman hasn't played much in his first season in Turin. If we've learned anything from combing through the Juventus roster is that just about all of their players play multiple positions, and Coman is no different. The Frenchman is most comfortable playing behind a single striker, in a secondary striker role, but can also play on either wing, in the midfield or spearhead the attack on his own. By far the youngest player on the roster, Coman still has a lot to learn, like improve his finishing for example, but because of his good vision and excellent dribbling Coman has a bright future ahead of himself.

Overview

Judging by form and taking into account lineups in recent games, Tevez and Morata will start up front for Juventus. Tevez is having an exceptional season while Morata is making a name for himself in Turin, especially after his two goals against Real Madrid in the Semi-Final. If for some reason Allegri decides against starting Morata, there is no doubt whether Tevez will start, he will be replaced by his compatriot, Llorente. It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which Coman or Matri make the match-squad, but if either of them manages that feat it will be the Italian that will do so, and not the Frenchman.