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Vidal: Barca not unbeatable

Turin - When Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal begins to think about the "most important" game of his life on Saturday, his great anticipation ahead of the Champions League final clash with Barcelona in Berlin is immediately clear to see.

"Standing in the final of the Champions League is the maximum for every footballer," the Chilean said.

After 10 years as a professional, including four in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, he has achieved many of his goals - and now want to win the biggest title in club football.

"Barcelona are the favourites but they are not unbeatable," he said.

The 28-year-old Vidal is returning to top form at the best possible time for his club having played for Chile at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil while hampered by a knee injury.

His return to Juventus and Italy was then hindered by a lack of fitness and niggling injuries which was reflected in performance. Despite playing in virtually every game, Vidal has only eight competitive goals this season compared to 15 and 18 in the previous years.

But any perceived change in Vidal's game is not considered a problem by his coach, Massimiliano Allegri.

"Vidal is no longer running after opponents, he has left them (behind)," Allegri said.

Despite his previous injuries and form dip, his value to the team in midfield as a fighter has never been in doubt.

"If I had to go to war, I would always take him along," captain Gianluigi Buffon said of the player who moved to Juve in 2011 from Leverkusen, going back on a verbal deal to join Bayern Munich in the process.

Vidal actually speculated before the season that his time to win the Champions League was about to arrive. But he is taking nothing for granted.

"To date, the others were always the favourites and we have managed to prove ourselves," he said. "We hope that again on Saturday the favourites will lose."

Vidal will be watched on Saturday not just by European fans by legions of Chilean supporters who are making "success over Barcelona a national issue," according to the Tuttosport newspaper.

"There are many emotions that you go through before a game like this," Vidal said. "It's a dream to be here ahead of the most important game of my life."

The triumphs enjoyed at Juve - four Serie A titles including a double this season - have given Arsenal and Real Madrid cause to ponder a move for Vidal. But that is not something he is concerned with just yet.

"Now we want to complete the treble in Berlin," he concluded.

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