Real Madrid are looking to become the first team to defend the Champions League when they face Juventus in Saturday’s final.
Both sides won their domestic leagues this term to go with a possible Champions League crown, with Juventus going for the treble having lifted the Coppa Italia too.
Juventus best performance in the competition so far was against Barcelona, eliminating the Catalan giants 3-0 on aggregate in the Quarter-Finals.
Real Madrid edged out Bayern Munich in the Quarter’s and were too strong for city rivals Atletico in the semi-finals, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick in the home tie.
Enhanced match odds
Juventus 12/1 or Real Madrid 10/1 with Betfair*
Juventus 40/1 or Real Madrid 40/1 with Betfair*
Real Madrid to beat Juventus: 10/1 with Paddy Power*
Juventus to beat Real Madrid: 12/1 with Paddy Power*
Real Madrid to beat Juventus: 40/1 with Paddy Power*
Juventus to beat Real Madrid: 40/1 with Paddy Power*
Champions League form: Juventus W4 D1 L0; Real Madrid W3 D0 L2
Champions League top scorers
Juventus – Gonzalo Higuain 5 goals
Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo 10 goals
Match history
Juventus eliminated Real Madrid in the 2015 semi-finals, progressing through 3-2 on aggregate.
Alvaro Morata scored twice for Juventus against his former side in the tie, but has since moved back to Real Madrid!
Last five Champions League meetings
Real Madrid 1 Juventus 1 – 13/05/15
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 – 05/05/15
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 2 – 05/11/13
Real Madrid 2 Juventus 1 – 23/10/13
Real Madrid 0 Juventus 2 – 05/11/08
Juventus +0.75 handicap – 7/20 with Bet 365
Team news
Juventus could line up with a 3-4-2-1 or a 4-2-3-1 formation on Saturday, with the latter most likely having deployed it recently in the competition.
Really there is just one spot up for debate in the team and it does depend on the formation with either Andrea Barzagli or Juan Cuadrado starting.
Sami Khedira and Gonzalo Higuain will line-up against their former employers.
Gareth Bale is likely to be on the bench for the Cardiff final as he recovers from another injury.
Isco has been superb for Madrid this season and is set to continue behind Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
The big doubt in Madrid’s line-up is the right full-back role and expect Nacho to start ahead of Danilo, with Dani Carvajal almost certain to miss out.
Expected starting XI’s
Juventus (4-2-3-1): Buffon; Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain
Real Madrid (4-3-1-2): Navas; Nacho, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco; Ronaldo, Benzema
Predictions
Result: Juventus (40/1 with Paddy Power)*
Correct Score: 2-1 (11/1 with Paddy Power)
Anytime Goalscorer: Mario Mandzukic (16/5 with Bet Victor)
