Marca’s Rubén Jiménez warns Real Madrid about Juve’s hurt feelings in last season’s CL final and says the Italian side have everything to get their revenge.
• The history: “You again?’ is the phrase that will be uttered by both Juventus and Real Madrid when they come face to face in Turin. In the minds of some will be last season’s Champions League final, which this game is a repeat of. For others, they will recall that the Bianconeri are the only team to eliminate Real from the competition in the past four seasons.
“In fact, the Spanish side have never eliminated Juve from the Champions League in a two-legged tie since the competition changed to its current format. Madrid have dominated when it comes to meeting in finals though and two of the trophies they have won in the past 20 years came from beating the Italian champions in the final. However, the image of Alvaro Morata and co celebrating after beating Iker Casillas in his final game for the club still stings.”
• What they have to offer? : “It is likely to be the same reliable side who have impressed so much in recent years. Like Madrid, they have a winning DNA and culture at their club and whatever the season or the XI who are on the field, the spirit is always the same. Leonardo Bonucci may be missing from their defence and Dani Alves has departed but the rest are essentially the same group from Cardiff’s final.
“There’s Gianluigi Buffon. There’s Giorgio Chiellini. There’s Paulo Dybala, and there’s Gonzalo Higuain. It is worth keeping a close eye on Higuain, as he makes his first return to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu since leaving and will be determined to show that he is now better than ever.”
• Two important players will miss the first leg through suspension as Miralem Pjanic and Mehdi Benatia’s yellow cards against Tottenham Hotspur proved costly.