Real Madrid Looks to Finish Champions League Job vs. Shellshocked Juventus
Real Madrid host Serie A giants Juventus at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash.
Zinedine Zidane's Los Blancos are in full control of the tie after they steamrolled past the Old Lady with a 3-0 victory at the Allianz Stadium in the reverse fixture.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave the visitors an early lead when he poked home Isco's cross. I Bianconeri had a number of chances to equalise before Ronaldo produced one of the great Champions League moments to thunder an overhead kick past Gianluigi Buffon.
Things got worse for the hosts, as Paulo Dybala was shown a second yellow card. Massimiliano Allegri's misery was then further compounded when Marcelo scored Real's third and final goal of the game.
No team has ever overturned a 3-0 home defeat in the Champions League.
Classic Encounter:
The European juggernauts have met on 20 different occasions, 10 of which have been won by Real, while eight have been won by Juve.
The most memorable contest between the two probably dates back to the 2002/03 season.
Juventus traveled to the Bernabeu in the first leg with the aim of defending their European title. It was the hosts who got on the scoresheet first, however, when Ronaldo slotted past Buffon.
The Serie A giants looked on course to earn a draw thanks to David Trezeguet, who took advantage of a fortuitous deflection to prod the ball past Casillas, but Roberto Carlo struck a trademark long-range piledriver to nick the win for the home side.
In the return leg, Real were dealt an early blow when Trezeguet gave the hosts an early lead. Del Piero's 42nd minute strike doubled Juve's advantage and put Marcello Lippi's side firmly in the driving seat.
Vicente del Bosque knew that his side were still just one goal away from winning the tie, until Pavel Nedved sent his effort past Casillas in the 73rd minute. Zidane clawed one goal back for the visitors late on to set up a tense finish, but it was too late and Juve progressed to face AC Milan in the first ever (and only thus far) all Italian Champions League final, which I Rossoneri won on penalties.
Recent Form:
Recorded last six home & away games
Real Madrid Home Record: DWWWWW
Los Blancos have the 4th best home record in La Liga - behind Barcelona, Valencia and Atletico Madrid. Nevertheless, Real are the home top scorers having notched 45 goals in 16 games - two more than Barcelona. In their last six games at the Bernabeu, Real have scored a staggering 22 goals. Conversely, they have also conceded eight.
Juventus Away Record: WDWWWW
Juventus have the best away record in the Serie A, I Bianconeri have won 13 of a possible 16 games away from the Alianz Stadium and have lost only one. They are also the top away scorers along with Lazio, having scored 37 goals - giving them a 2.4 goals per game ratio.
Their victory against Spurs at Wembley will offer Allegri's side some mild hope; although, Real have a lot more experience at this stage in the competition compared to the Lilywhites (and most other teams).
Team News:
For Real, captain Sergio Ramos is suspended after he picked up a booking in the first leg. Center back Nacho Fernandez is out with a thigh injury, while youngster Jesus Vallejo could be included on the bench having recovered from a hamstring injury.
Juventus, on the other hand, will be without star man Paulo Dybala after he received two yellow cards in the reverse fixture, and winger Federico Bernardeschi remains out indefinitely with a knee injury.
Potential Real Madrid Starting Lineup: Navas, Marcelo, Llorente, Varane, Carvajal, Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Isco, Ronaldo, Benzema.
Potential Juventus Starting Lineup: Buffon, Asamoah, Chiellini, Barzagli, Lichtsteiner, Khedira, Matuidi; Costa, Mandzukic, Cuadrado, Higuain.
Prediction:
It's tough to see past a comfortable Real victory. Juve will be without their top scorer, Dybala, and Gonzalo Higuain has struggled to perform in the big games against the top sides.
Los Blancos, on the other hand, have a host of proven performers in their star-studded squad. With Cristiano Ronaldo on top form, Real are rightly favorites to progress to the semifinals.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus
