UEFA Youth League final preview: Trabzonspor vs Barcelona

Trabzonspor will play Barcelona in the 2025 UEFA Youth League final at Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon, on Monday 28 April.

Ticket information

Please be aware that the 2025 UEFA Youth League final between Trabzonspor and Barcelona is sold out.

There are no more tickets available for the final, either online or at the ticket box office on the day of the match. Thank you for taking note and for only making the journey to Nyon if you are already in possession of a valid ticket.

No parking is available on site. Please use public transport.

The lowdown

No Turkish club had even reached the round of 16 before this season, but after getting through the domestic champions path in only their second entry, Trabzonspor produced home wins against Juventus, Atalanta (on penalties) and league phase table-toppers Inter in front of respective crowds of 10,575, 13,102 and a competition-record 40,368 to get to Nyon.

Friday's semi-final with Salzburg was watched by a capacity crowd almost all supporting Trabzonspor, and although the 2016/17 winners seemed to have forced penalties when John Mellberg equalised in the 85th minute to cancel out Yiğit Kemal Turan's superb opener, Boran Başkan produced an equally emphatic, and even more timely, finish to give Türkiye their first UEFA Youth League finalists.

Trabzonspor can now become the ninth different champions (from the seventh distinct national association) out of 11 editions and will be able to welcome back Abdurrahman Bayram and Ekrem Terzi from suspension. Ekrem Terzi will be a welcome extra attacking option for a club whose run has come despite the prolific Poyraz Yıldırım – scorer of six goals in the domestic champions path –being loaned to Ümraniyespor in January.

Barcelona, in contrast, are no strangers to this stage. They have reached the Nyon finals for a record fifth time and are now through to a third final (behind only Chelsea on four), having defeated AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the semis via an early Juan Hernández penalty.

Victory on Monday would make Barcelona the first three-time champions; their wins in the inaugural edition of 2013/14 and again in 2017/18 (respectively beating Benfica and Chelsea 3-0) mean they are currently level with the London club on two titles.

Hernández and Barcelona's competition top scorer Arnau Pradas are among several La Masia talents tipped for success from their current squad, who have enjoyed a dominant domestic season under UEFA Champions League winner Juliano Belletti. His side could be bolstered by Jan Virgili and Pedro Fernández, who missed the semi-final with AZ to link up with the relegation-threatened Barcelona Atlètic team (the senior reserves) but have now flown out to Switzerland.

Starting line-ups

Trabzonspor: Erol Can Çolak; Oğuzhan Yılmaz, Taha Emre İnce, Arda Öztürk, Bican Tibukoğlu; Alihan Erdoğan, Salih Malkoçoğlu, Boran Başkan; Abdurrahman Bayram, Onuralp Çakıroğlu, Yiğit Kemal Turan

Barcelona: Yaakobishvili; Espart, Kospo, Cuenca, Farré; Junyent, Fariñas, Diarra; Pradas, Alba, Hernández

Expert predictions from Nyon

Görkem Kırgız, Trabzonspor reporter
It is never easy to reach the final in a tournament like this – particularly when coming through the domestic champions path – but Trabzonspor did exactly that. Their commitment and resilience blended perfectly with the individual and collective talent they possess, carrying them all the way to the showpiece game.

Against Salzburg, the Turkish side stood firm and proved their worth in the moment of truth, even when they were pushed hard and looked under real pressure. Now, facing Barcelona, the challenge is to prove it all over again – and no one should expect anything less from them.

Juan Díaz, Barcelona reporter
Barcelona have an excellent chance to make history and claim their third Youth League title. Belletti's charges showed their nerve, resilience, possession and personality in their semi-final against AZ. They now face a Trabzonspor side that showed impressive efficiency in their semi-final and will be boosted by the crowd at Colovray Sports Centre.

While Trabzonspor have conceded just seven times in eight games, Barça are the team to have registered the most goals (25) and the most shots on target (74) this season. Their ranks are also likely to be reinforced by a number of players travelling to Nyon after representing the senior reserves on Saturday.

Views from the camps

Eyüp Saka, Trabzonspor coach: "I know that our entire country will support us. We will do our best. I hope we win the final and bring the cup to our country."

Juliano Belletti, Barcelona coach: "The boys have confidence, which is what we always ask for. They are excited. I try to control the anxiety of playing in the final. We have to keep our feet on the ground and appreciate everything we've done to get here."

Yiğit Kemal Turan, Trabzonspor midfielder: "It really is going to be the most important match of our careers. We're really excited and aware of the fact that it's going to be a huge milestone for us. I'd love to add to that milestone with a goal. At first, people didn't believe in us, but lifting the trophy has always been our main goal from the beginning. That's the reason we've made it to the final; it's the truth. If it hadn't been for the dream, we probably wouldn't have come this far."

Boran Başkan, Trabzonspor midfielder: "My feeling is truly indescribable and it's hard to put into words. It's a first for us both in the history of the club and the country. We can't wait for the matchday. We are carrying all this excitement inside of us and we want to channel this excitement into our performance."

Quim Junyent, Barcelona midfielder: "It's going to be a very tough game, like all of them. But, of course, it's a final – anything can happen in a final. We have seen a lot of things happening in football, but we're not going to change anything. The truth is that we're very united and we're going for it because we're going to win it."

Hugo Alba, Barcelona forward: "It's a dream to be here and I imagine winning it. I think we're a great team and we're going in with a lot of confidence. I think I'd be really proud. You're representing a team and institution, and I think it would be huge and make me really happy."