Juventus vs. Real Madrid: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for UCL Final
Juventus will take on Real Madrid in the 2017 UEFA Champions League final on Saturday at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff.
Los Blancos, who have won the tournament a record 11 times, including in 2014 and 2016, will be aiming to become the first side to retain the trophy since it became known as the Champions League in 1992.
It would also mark a league and European Cup double for Real, who won La Liga ahead of Barcelona this year.
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The Bianconeri have, surprisingly, lifted it just twice, with their last victory coming in 1996. They will be targeting a treble having won Serie A and the Coppa Italia this season.
BT Sport will be showing the match free to air on BT Sport Showcase and streaming it live via its official YouTube channel.
Here's the schedule for the match, complete with viewing information. Read on for a full preview.
Date: Saturday, June 3
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
TV: BT Sport 2 (UK), BT Sport Showcase (UK), Fox Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: BT Sport Player, YouTube, Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.)
Team News
Per Tom Doyle of the Evening Standard, Sami Khedira and Mario Mandzukic should be available for Juventus, while Pepe is likely to be out for Real Madrid because of his broken ribs.
Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane will have to choose between playing Gareth Bale or Isco, after the former admitted he is "not 100 per cent" fit due to an ongoing ankle problem, per BBC Sport.
Predicted Juventus Lineup: Gianluigi Buffon; Dani Alves, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic; Gonzalo Higuain
Predicted Real Madrid Lineup: Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric, Isco; Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo
Preview
A glance at the final league tables in Serie A and La Liga will show you where the two sides' respective strengths lie.
Real racked up 106 goals in 38 matches this season, but in shipping 41 they also demonstrated their slight defensive vulnerability.
By contrast, Juve conceded just 27, but they weren't quite as free-scoring as their opponents and managed 77 going forward.
It has been a similar story in the Champions League this year, with Real netting 32 and conceding 17 in 12 matches so far, while for Juve those figures are 21 and three, with just one goal being lost from open play.
While it will be intriguing to see how Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon handle Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates—particularly after they successfully kept clean sheets in both quarter-final legs against Barcelona—the most fascinating battle on show could be between Brazilian full-backs Dani Alves and Marcelo.
The two will be pitted directly against one another, and the winner could have a huge influence on the outcome of the match.
While they are both probably better defenders than they are often given credit for, the pair truly shine going forward.
Alves did not get his career in Turin off to the best of starts, but he has produced some breathtaking performances of late, particularly in the Champions League.
In the two semi-final legs against AS Monaco, the Brazilian had a hand in all of Juve's four goals, assisting two directly and scoring one himself with a spectacular volley. Football writer Jack Lang marvelled at his performance:
Overall, he has six goals and seven assists in all competitions this season.
Marcelo has three goals and a staggering 13 assists to his name. He has impressed throughout the campaign yet again, with his performances against Bayern Munich and Barcelona in April particularly catching the eye.
Football journalists David Cartlidge and Dermot Corrigan hailed his efforts:
There will be a feast of world-class talent on show in Cardiff, and the match promises to be a thrilling showpiece as a result.
Any number of players could decide it for either side, but the duel between Alves and compatriot Marcelo could define the match and ultimately the result.
