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When "Juventus" welcomes Madrid's "Real" team at home, the Italian club will try to avoid a second consecutive Champions League season ending with a defeat at home against a Spanish club. This time, when "Real" arrives in Turin with a one-goal advantage, F.Capello's coached team definitely needs a win.
Twelve months ago, La Coruna's "Deportivo" eliminated the "Juventus" team, defeating them in Turin only for the second time in 17 matches played at home against Spanish clubs. However, "Juve" can remember the semi-final match against "Real" in the 2002/03 season - back then, the Madrid team also led by one goal after the first match, but in the second leg, the Italians scored two more goals and made it to the final, where they later lost to the "Milan" club.
Madrid's "Real" has traveled to Italy a total of 22 times. Only five of them ended in victory, four in draws, and even 13 in defeats. The truth is that three out of all five victories were achieved in the last 5 visits. Among them was a crushing victory in Rome against the local "Roma" with a score of 3-0.
Overall, this season both teams play completely different styles of football. "Senoji senjora" is a well-balanced team, playing orderly and precise football. Meanwhile, "Real" sometimes lacks organization and consistency. Despite adding Danes T.Gravesen and W.Samuel, one of the main concerns is defense. Here the "royal" club might apply the somewhat adventurous saying that the best defense is offense. If "Real" could score a goal, the situation for the Italians would become much more complicated, requiring them to score three goals to progress.
Just because "Juve" represents Italian football, it is unlikely that an adventurous attacking game can be expected today in any way to score a goal. F.Capello's team will most likely play orderly and organized football as always, aiming to exploit the first opportunity that comes. But as the match approaches the end and the result remains unchanged, "Real" could have more than one great opportunity for a quick counterattack.
Predicted line-ups:
Juventus: (4-3-3): Buffon; Zebina, Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta; Camoranesi, Emerson, Tacchinardi; Del Piero, Zalayeta, Zlatan.
Real Madrid (4-4-2): Cesar, Raul Bravo, Helguera, Samuel, Roberto Carlos, Solari, Gravesen, Beckham, Figo, Raul (Owen), Ronaldo
