Skip to main content

Juventus v Real Madrid – how they measure up for Champions League final


Holders Real Madrid will meet Italian giants Juventus in the Champions League final in Cardiff on June 3.
The LaLiga club saw off city rivals Atletico Madrid to reach the last two for the third time in four years while Juve resisted French hopefuls Monaco to make the final for the first time since 2015.
Here, Press Association Sport assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of the European titans.

Star player

Cristiano Ronaldo, despite struggling to replicate the form of previous seasons, remains Real’s most dangerous player. The Portuguese reached and surpassed 100 European goals last month and his first-leg hat-trick against Atletico as good as booked Real their place in the final. Still supremely fit in his 30s, he does not tire even in the big games and he proved as much by scoring the winning penalty after 120 gruelling minutes in last year’s final.
A succession of players have staked their claims to be Juve’s outstanding performer in Europe this term, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon keeping a clean sheet for five straight games, aided by stellar defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini. Dani Alves stepped up with two assists and a goal against Monaco over two legs. But the danger man is 90 million euro striker Gonzalo Higuain, who will have a point to prove against his former club.

Road to the final

In truth Real have been less than commanding on the continent this term. The goals have flowed, as usual, but they did not keep a clean sheet until last week’s victory over Atletico and were held to draws by Legia Warsaw and Borussia Dortmund, the Germans twice holding out for 2-2 in the group stage. Unlike Juve they have lost on the road to Cardiff, this week at the Vicente Calderon as Atletico tried in vain to rally and reach the final.
The Bianconeri never looked like wobbling in their quest to reach the knockout rounds, with Lyon the only side able to take points off them with a late goal in the 1-1 November draw. Massimiliano Allegri’s men have steadily improved, easing past Porto before completing a remarkable 3-0 aggregate win over Barcelona, which featured a shutout at the Nou Camp. Previously free-scoring Monaco were then held at arm’s length in the semi-finals.

Domestic form

Both clubs are vying for the title in their respective countries, with Real assured of the LaLiga crown if they take seven points from their three remaining matches. Apart from a dramatic defeat to Barca in last month’s El Clasico, Zinedine Zidane’s team have been dominant in the spring and should be champions for the first time since 2012.
Juve will win a sixth straight Serie A title if they avoid defeat at Roma on Sunday. Despite strong campaigns from the capital club and prolific Napoli, Allegri’s Bianconeri have never looked like surrendering top spot and such is their imperious power the treble is up for grabs as they will also face Lazio in the upcoming Coppa Italia final.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

50 FUN FACTS ABOUT THE NUMBER 50

50 is an auspicious number with importance in both everyday life and higher mathematics. People celebrate milestone 50th birthdays and 50th anniversaries with more pomp than they do other year markers. Half of 100 is 50, and is a denomination of coins and paper money in many countries. When people write best-of of worst-of lists, they often try to select an even 50 items. In many ways, 50 feels complete. Here are more curious and interesting facts about the special number 50. 14 Math Facts About the Number 50 50 is the smallest integer that can be expressed as the sum of two positive squares in two distinct ways. 49 + 1 = 25 + 25 = 50. The number of letters in "fifty" equals the sum of the digits in 50. Not too many numbers have this property in English. A few other examples are 4 (four), 16 (sixteen), 36 (thirty-six), 45 (forty-five), and 83 (eighty-three). 50 is also the sum of three square numbers: 3^2 + 4^2 + 5^2 = 9 + 16 + 25 = 50. 50 is a  Harshad number , ...
1 comment
Read more

Thirty Facts About The Number 30

The number thirty is a number just like any other number. Numbers each have their own value depending on what importance people give to them, maybe it’s your date of birth, or anniversary, or maybe you find it to be your lucky number. Well, whatever the reason, here’s thirty facts you probably didn’t know about the number 30. (Wow, I’ve said numbers a lot already!) In Bingo, the ball 30 is known as “Dirty Gertie, Blind 30”. A polygon with 30 sides is a triacontagon. The number 30 is known as a Harshad number, or a number divisible by the sum of its digits. In  Back to The Future , Marty McFly travelled 30 years back in time. The number 30, but separated by two hyphens is used to indicate the end of a newspaper story (-30-). To see anything related to the number 30 in your dreams usually means that someone or something lacks truth. Someone is lying to you or something is not be what it seems. In the periodic table of elements, Phosphorus has an atom...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE ROYALS: FINAL TASK!!!

Final Task!!! Please follow page, like post and comment #FORMIDE It won't take much of your time please. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAP86HhgazQ/?igshid=1urzohcjp3fv5 Let's bring this home fam❤️ Thank you🙏🏽
Post a Comment
Read more