The Italian side have stated that they are not going to sit back and hold on to their advantage, they are going to take the game to Madrid at their home, it remains to be seen if they do that. Real Madrid on the other hand lost their chances of winning the La Liga this season earlier this week when they drew at home to Valencia. It could have been a different story though if Ronaldo had converted his spot kick. Ronaldo is definitely facing some stick from the Madrid fans for his penalty miss and even the Welsh Gareth Bale is also not being spared by the supporters who are clearly not happy with his recent performances and the negativity seems to be dampening the Welshmen's confidence. Madrid legend Iker Casillas also has been a target of the Madrid boo boys for his performances in recent years, although his counterpart earlier this week Buffon has come out and defended the Spanish keeper and expressed his disgust for the Madrid fans booing at Casillas.
The First leg saw Juventus edge out a victory at home courtesy a Carlos Tevez penalty midway in the second half. There is no reason for Madrid to panic as they scored an important away goal through Ronaldo's header, nevertheless it could have been a different story if James Rodriguez had scored the header which hit the post. Both teams played well in the first leg with Madrid having an equal amount of chances themselves. Alvaro Morata will be relishing his return to the Bernabeu who was sold earlier this year by the Spanish side, he would looking to add on to his tally, having scored the opening goal in the first semi-final tie.
Real Madrid knowing already that Barcelona have qualified for the finals will be looking to ensure they themselves reach the finals and hopefully beat the Spanish side and do something no European club has ever done in this tournament win the Champions League back to back. Juventus on the other seem determined to reach the finals as it has been more than a decade since they last reached the champions league finals, it was way back in 2003 where they lost to rivals AC Milan in a penalty shoot-out.
Both teams drew this weekend at their respective domestic leagues but for Real Madrid a draw proved to be the end for their domestic title aspirations. Juventus on the other would be pleased as Paul Pogba returned to the side after being out for two months with injury and scoring in his first appearance after injury a boost for the Italian side. Real Madrid have also received a boost with Karim Benzema adjudged fit to play the second leg.
It's going to be a fiesty encounter with Madrid pressing from the onset and Juventus will be looking to punish them on the counter which Real Madrid must be aware of. It's highly unlikely that this fixture is going to be a high scoring game it would more like a smash and grab type of game where one goal for either side could ensure their place in the final. Real Madrid need to win the game 1-0 to progress through the final, Juventus on the other hand need to score one to pile the pressure on the Spanish side.
The players to watch out for:
Real Madrid: Ronaldo, James Rodriguez , Gareth Bale and Benzema
Juventus: Tevez, Pirlo , Marchisio and Chiellini
Injuries for both sides:
Real Madrid: Modrić (knee), Khedira (foot)
Juventus: Asamoah (knee), Cáceres (ankle), Marrone (thigh), Rómulo (groin)
Probable Line-ups:
Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo; James Rodríguez, Kroos, Isco; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Juventus: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pogba, Pirlo, Marchisio; Vidal; Morata, Tévez.
The statistics for the first leg:
Tournament statistics so far this season for both sides:
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