Juventus will travel to Real Madrid for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with a narrow advantage following a pulsating clash in Turin last week.
Alvaro Morata and Carlos Tevez were both on the scoresheet as Juve won 2-1, but an away goal from Cristiano Ronaldo has left the semi-final delicately poised.
Real Madrid
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It has not been a good week for Real Madrid, with defeat in the first leg last week followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Valencia in La Liga on Saturday. Failure to beat Los Che has left Carlo Ancelotti's side four points behind the league leaders Barcelona with just two games remaining. However, when those two fixtures actually take place is still a mystery due to the current strike in Spain.
Nonetheless, the Champions League now seems the only realistic possibility of a trophy this season. The Spanish side are attempting to become the first team in the modern era to successfully defend this competition and they will still be confident of advancing despite losing the first leg in Turin. Such is the pressure in Madrid, Ancelotti might well lose his job if an 11th European Cup does not arrive.
Real Madrid were beaten 4-3 at home by Schalke 04 in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash last month, but they have won 19 of their last 22 European games on home soil. The Spanish outfit have also triumphed in 22 of their 36 two-legged European ties when they lost the first leg away from home, but they have lost each of the last four in that situation.
Real Madrid have been eliminated in their last three European Cup semi-finals against Italian sides. Juventus beat them in 2003, Torino in 1992 and AC Milan in 1989. That said, the Spanish side have won 21 of their 29 home games against Italian opponents and only lost six times.
Los Blancos absolutely breezed through the group stages this season – winning all six of their Group B fixtures to top the section on 18 points. They only stumbled past Schalke and Atletico Madrid, however, which will be a concern for Ancelotti at this stage.
Ending the season without a major trophy is always seen as a disappointment for a club of Real Madrid's size and history, but they will need a strong performance in front of their own supporters. The possibility of a stunning final against Barcelona will surely act as the motivation.
Recent form: WWLDWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWLD
Juventus
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Juventus clinched their fourth successive Italian title with four games to spare on May 2. However, success in Europe's premier competition has been hard to find in recent seasons. In fact, the last time that the Old Lady reached this stage of the Champions League was in the 2002-03 season, when they eventually lost on penalties to great rivals AC Milan in the final.
The Italian outfit have made a serious impression in this season's competition, however, and showed their credentials at this level with a strong performance in the first leg. Their home form has always been strong, but they have also not conceded a single goal in any of their last three away games in this competition, which included a 0-0 draw at Monaco in the quarter-finals.
What's more, Juventus have won 33 of their 41 European ties where they won the home first leg – including all four when the score was 2-1. That said, Juve's record in Spain is not too strong – winning on just three of their 21 trips and losing 14 times in the process. This is also their 11th semi-final appearance in the European Cup and they have won seven of those two-legged ties.
For a club of Juventus's history, a total of two European Cups is a little disappointing. In terms of their progression to this stage, they finished second in Group A behind Atletico – collecting 10 points from their six games. They did lose 1-0 away to Atletico, however, and that score in Madrid on Wednesday would take the home side into the final on away goals.
Borussia Dortmund were dispatched 5-1 on aggregate in the round of 16, before the Italian side beat Monaco 1-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. They have only conceded twice in their last seven Champions League games, meanwhile, which is an indication of the task facing Real Madrid.
In 2010, Juventus were beaten 4-1 at Fulham in the last-16 stage of the Europa League. Now, Fulham are struggling in the English Championship, while Juve are on the cusp of a Champions League final. The signs are certainly positive going forward for the Serie A giants.
Recent form: DWWWDW
Recent form (all competitions): DLWWWD
Team News
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Real Madrid had a scare against Valencia – well, another one – when Toni Kroos was forced off in the first period. The German took to social media on Sunday, however, to deny claims that he would be out for the remainder of the season. Kroos also trained on Monday, before Ancelotti revealed that the problem was not muscular. It is expected that Kroos will start against Juve, but Luka Modric is still on the sidelines with a knee problem.
Karim Benzema could also be back following a knee problem, but it is expected that the Frenchman will start on the bench.
Dani Carvajal and Marcelo should both return at full-back, while it is currently unclear where Sergio Ramos will be deployed. The Spaniard returned to centre-back against Valencia, but a midfield role could beckon once again, with Raphael Varane and Pepe starting in defence.
Javier Hernandez could drop out, however, with James Rodriguez moving into a forward position alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
Juventus, meanwhile, were handed a huge boost at the weekend when Paul Pogba, who had been out since March 18 with a thigh problem, made a scoring return against Cagliari. The Frenchman, however, is expected to be named among the substitutes at the Bernabeu.
Morata and Tevez are expected to keep their places in the final third, with Massimiliano Allegri keeping faith with the players that performed in Turin. Stefano Sturaro made his first Champions League start in the first leg and could keep his spot in the team, but Martin Caceres and Kwadwo Asamoah are still on the sidelines.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Ramos, Kroos, Isco; James, Ronaldo, Bale
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Chiellini, Bonucci, Evra; Pirlo, Marchisio, Sturaro, Vidal; Morata, Tevez
Head To Head
In total, these two sides have faced each other on 17 occasions. There has been just the one draw, while both have recorded eight wins. The sole draw came in last season's group stage when Real Madrid made the trip to Juventus, but the Spanish side did win the reverse game 2-1 at home.
Home advantage has proved key in the past meetings, with Real Madrid winning five of their seven games against Juventus in the Spanish capital. These two teams also met in the semi-finals of the 2002-03 Champions League, with Juventus winning 4-3 on aggregate. However, again, they were beaten 2-1 in Madrid – a score that would produce extra time on this occasion.
That said, a double from Alessandro del Pierro did help Juventus win 2-0 at the Bernabeu in 2008.
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Juventus (Real Madrid on penalties)
Real Madrid will be hurting after the events of the past week, but the Spanish side simply cannot be written off. Their form at home this season has generally been excellent and they will fancy their chances of finding a couple of goals, it just all depends on what happens at the other end.
It would not be a surprise to see this one go all the way to penalties via extra time and with Ancelotti's job seemingly on the line, the hosts should hold their nerve to advance.
Matt Law
