latestbettingsites.co.uk to secure a third title in four seasons, but we believe that there may be an upset on the cards and here are the reasons why we foresee the Champions League returning to Italy for the first since Inter’s win over Bayern Munich in 2010.
Defence:
Juventus are renowned for having one of the best and tightest defences in all of world football and their performances, both domestically and in the Champions League, this season have shown how true this is. In Serie A they have conceded just 26 times all season to see them far better than any other sides in the league, with only Roma and Napoli at 33 and 36 goals conceded respectively coming anywhere close to their defensively solidarity.
In the Champions League they have been, by far and away, the best defensive side in the competition with a total of just three goals conceded in 12 matches since the group stage kicked off. They have kept nine clean sheets during this time and following the concession of one goal at home to Lyon and one away at Sevilla in Group H they have conceded just a single goal in the knockout rounds – and that came when they were already 4-0 up against Monaco on aggregate in the Semi Final.
Clearly, if any side is going to be able to stop Cristiano Ronaldo adding to his ten goals in this Champions League campaign it will be the Serie A table toppers!
Head-to-head:
In addition to their excellent defensive record in Europe, Juventus have a record of preventing Real Madrid from securing victory against them. In fact, in the last eight meetings since the second leg of the 2005 Champions League Quarter Finals the Spaniards have managed to emerge victorious on just one occasion.
The only time that Real Madrid have managed to triumph against Massimiliano Allegri’s men came in the group stages of the 2013/14 Champions League when two Cristiano Ronaldo goals combined with a red card for key defender Giorgio Chiellini saw the Serie A side slip to a 2-1 loss in the Spanish capital. They did draw 2-2 on home soil later in Group B though to begin a three-match unbeaten run against the La Primera Liga leaders coming into this Champions League decider at the Millennium Stadium in Wales.
The last time that Juventus reached the Champions League Final during the 2014/15 season they faced Real at the final four stage and a 2-1 home win followed by a 1-1 draw at The Bernabeu saw them progress to the final. That time they were defeated by another Spanish side in Barcelona in the final, but this time around certainly has the potential to be very different.
Record versus Spanish sides:
Juventus have faced two sides from La Primera Liga in this competition this season and have done well against both of them. First up was Sevilla, who finished fourth in Spain’s top flight this season, in the group stages and following a 0-0 home draw the reverse of that fixture saw Juventus claim a 3-1 victory on their way to top spot in Group H.
This was not the most impressive performance from the Italian side though as after Barcelona performed miracles at the Camp Nou against PSG to secure their place in the Champions League Quarter Finals, the Catalans were completely outclassed by the side that they saw off in the final of this competition in 2015. Juventus took a seventh minute lead in the first leg of the last eight stage tie and never let the lead slip from there as they triumphed 3-0 on home soil before shutting up shop in the second leg to draw 0-0 and progress to the Semi Finals.
They now have two wins and two draws in their four clashes against Spanish sides this season, have conceded just a single goal versus sides from La Liga and shut out an attack of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez for 180 minutes.
Juventus and Buffon will certainly have the confidence to see off another side from S
pain in this final match from all these points and with latestbettingsites.co.uk making them the outsiders to lift the trophy there is plenty to be said for backing the Champions League trophy making an appearance in Turin this June!
