Look who’s back. Reigning champions Real Madrid are ready to play their fifth consecutive UEFA Champions League semifinal after eliminating city rivals Atletico in the previous round. But their road to another Champions League final is being blocked by the dominant champions of Italy, Juventus, who will be making their first appearance in the last four of the competition since 2003.
Who will gain the vital edge in the upcoming first leg in Italy? Read on below for our preview of this big European showdown.
For more on the four Champions League semifinalists, check out our team-by-team breakdowns and predictions here.
After sealing their fourth consecutive Serie A title on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Sampdoria, Juventus now have their sights fully set on their semifinal first leg at home to Real Madrid.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Juve won’t be quite at full strength for the visit of the reigning European champions, with star midfielder Paul Pogba still recovering from a torn thigh muscle that has kept him out for the past couple of months.
Apart from that, though, Juve will still field a very formidable team, particularly at the back. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and the back three of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are as experienced as they come, having formed the backbone of very successful teams for both Juventus and Italy.
That backline has formed one of the stingiest defense in this year’s competition. Juve have allowed just five goals in the Champions League, and have kept clean sheets in five of their last six games.
Even without Pogba, Juve should also hold their own in midfield. The trio of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio is a match for any midfield in the world, and especially so against a Real Madrid midfield that will be missing a key cog in Luka Modric.
In the round of 16, Juve were happy to cede majority of possession to Dortmund at home, and hit the Germans with two clinical counter-attacks in a 2-1 win. With the threat of Real’s own swift counters, expect the Italian champions to adopt a similarly cautious gameplan in the first leg and hope for some individual brilliance from Carlos Tevez. Tevez has scored six goals in this year’s competition.
The semifinals are no time to get cautious. Create a betting account now and go all in on the remaining Champions League matches this season.
Betting on Real Madrid
Real Madrid got ready for their midweek trip to Turin with a 3-2 away win over fifth-placed Sevilla over the weekend. The win extends Real’s unbeaten run to nine games (eight wins, one draw) in all competitions, with their lone draw coming away to Atletico in their quarterfinal first leg.
Real overcame a lot of adversity to get the better of their city rivals. With injuries ruling key players in Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema out of the second leg, manager Carlo Ancelotti expertly rejiggered his formation, which led his team to a 1-0 victory.
Among his shrewd moves were putting defender Sergio Ramos in midfield, and starting Javier Hernandez, who came up with the winning goal. Ancelotti’s tactical nous will be an ace in Real’s sleeve as he returns to his home country in the first leg against Juve.
Ramos was re-deployed in that midfield position against Sevilla, a likely dress rehearsal for the first leg. Bale and Benzema didn’t start the match, but both are expected to feature in Italy.
With Bale and Benzema out, Cristiano Ronaldo did his thing and scored yet another hat-trick against Sevilla. That puts his tally in the league up to 42 goals this season. He’s also scored eight goals in the Champions League. Ronaldo is that extra gear that Real has, an all-world talent that can turn a game on its head in an instant. It might just take a quick moment of magic from him to break down Juve’s rock-solid defense.
Furthermore, having the pace and power of Ronaldo and Bale bombing down the wings will be a particularly valuable asset for Real against a Juventus team that can at times be left exposed in wide areas.
Writer’s Prediction
Real are able to breach Juventus’ defense, but the Italians recover to salvage a 1-1 home draw (+195).
