Real Madrid v Juventus: Champions League semi-final – as it happened
|
Version 0 of 1. 9.46pm BST21:46 Gigi Buffon roars. Up in the Gods, the Juventus fans roar back. They’ve done it. Against all the odds, they’ve beaten Real Madrid and they are in the Champions League final for the first time since 2003. Who saw this coming? The Real Madrid fans look on with glum expressions. James Rodriguez is inconsolable. He’s in tears. It’s all gone very wrong for the holders in the past week. They’re out of the Champions League and the league title is slipping out of their grasp too. Oh dear. Maybe they should spend some more money? That’ll do it. They’ll be after a new manager too. This defeat effectively serves as Carlo Ancelotti’s resignation letter. But tonight isn’t about Real Madrid, it’s about Juventus. They struggled in the first half and they could have been out of it by half-time, but they were outstanding in the second half. Their defence was superb. Buffon. Can he really be 37? Vidal, Pogba and Marchisio were tireless, Tevez a totem of strength in attack. And, oh, what an ironic matchwinner. Alvaro Morata has knocked his old club out. Remember Fernando Morientes. Real never learn, do they? Ah well. Congratulations, Juventus. Lionel Messi is waiting for you in Berlin. Thanks for reading and emailing. Night! Related: Patrice Evra ‘will shake Luis Suárez’s hand’ at Champions League final Updated at 9.24am BST 9.39pm BST21:39 FULL-TIME! Real Madrid 1-1 Juventus (Juventus win 3-2 on aggregate) It’s over! Juventus will play Barcelona in the Champions League final! Updated at 10.17pm BST 9.38pm BST21:38 90 min+4: This probably isn’t going to be Real’s night. Iker Casillas just rushed over to the left to take a throw, then had a change of mind at the last second, dropped the ball and was penalised for a foul throw. RESPETO PARA IKER. 9.37pm BST21:37 90 min+3: Here come Real again. Juventus stand firm. One minute. 9.36pm BST21:36 90 min+2: We are approaching Ramos Time. Is he going to repeat his heroics from last year’s final? 9.36pm BST21:36 90 min+1: James Rodriguez drifts a cross-field pass from right to left out for a throw. The Juventus fans roar. 9.35pm BST21:35 90 min: Juventus are almost there. Carvajal concedes a free-kick in the centre circle, pulling Tevez back. Real are lagging. There will be four more minutes. 9.34pm BST21:34 89 min: Roberto Pererya replaces Paul Pogba. 9.34pm BST21:34 88 min: A reprieve for Real. Fernando Llorente tricks Varana brilliantly on the left and tees up Pogba. He can see Berlin.But his shot from 12 yards is straight at Casillas! He beats it away and Vidal loops a difficult header over the bar! Updated at 9.50pm BST 9.32pm BST21:32 87 min: Juventus dice with calamity! A long ball over the top has Chiellini, Bonnuci and Buffon in all sorts of bother. Hernandez gives chase and although he can’t control it, the ball rattles off his shins, past Buffon and trickles past the right post! 9.31pm BST21:31 86 min: This is wonderful from Pogba. With Juventus essentially defending from their own six-yard box, he buys them some precious time with a power-maraud forward, eventually winning a free-kick in Real’s half when Ramos knocks him over. 9.30pm BST21:30 85 min: Five minutes. One goal. 9.29pm BST21:29 84 min: The Juventus fans are belting out the Italian national anthem. Bale shoots wide from 30 yards. Buffon had it covered. To complete an action-packed minute, Alvaro Morata - 2015’s Fernando Morientes potentially - is replaced by Fernando Llorente. 9.28pm BST21:28 83 min: James Rodriguez’s cross is caught by Buffon. Juventus have barely mustered one attack in the past 10 minutes, not that they really need to at the moment. 9.26pm BST21:26 81 min: Bale tees up Kroos, who kindly plays the ball straight back to Buffon from 20 yards. Lichsteiner is down with cramp for a few seconds. He’s soon on his feet again. Updated at 9.26pm BST 9.25pm BST21:25 80 min: Barzagli boots the ball behind. Juventus feel it came off James. Luckily nothing comes from the corner. 9.23pm BST21:23 79 min: Juventus are parking the bus. Andrea Barzagli, a centre-back, is replaced by Andrea Pirlo, who is applauded off the pitch by all four corners of the Bernabeu. 9.23pm BST21:23 Updated at 9.23pm BST 9.22pm BST21:22 77 min: It’s one-way traffic now. Real are banging on the door. 9.21pm BST21:21 76 min: Lichsteiner is booked for timewasting at a throw. 9.20pm BST21:20 75 min: Marcelo raids into the box. Bonnuci’s challenge is timed to perfection. Corner. Kroos takes it. Bale heads. Over. Updated at 9.33pm BST 9.19pm BST21:19 74 min: Evra takes his time over a free-kick. Whistles. The seconds are ticking away. 9.19pm BST21:19 73 min: Was this a penalty? Patrice Evra appears to slip and crash into Javier Hernandez’s back, but the Swedish referee is lenient, much to Juventus’s relief. 9.18pm BST21:18 72 min: This is getting a bit uncomfortable to watch for Bale. Ronaldo combines with Marcelo on the left and hangs a cross to the far post. Bale rises above Evra but heads over from a few yards out! The Bernabeu voices its disapproval again. He badly needs something to go his way. By the way, I neglected to mention that Tevez was booked a few minutes ago. 9.17pm BST21:17 71 min: A cross into the Juventus area is only headed away as far as Bale by Chiellini. He’s in space on the edge of the area, but he snatches at his shot and it goes well wide. 9.16pm BST21:16 70 min: If Juventus don’t win this game, they will look back on this moment and wonder. What a chance. What a save. But what a chance. Morata held off Varane and found Vidal on the edge of the area. He stroked a delicate pass through to the onrushing Marchisio, who was in the clear. He opened up his body, looking to place it into the far corner with his right foot, but Casillas read his intentions and plunged down to his right to push the ball away! That would have been curtains for Real. 9.13pm BST21:13 68 min: James Rodriguez whistles a left-footer inches over the bar. It swerved viciously and Buffon stood and watched as the ball went by. He wasn’t going to save that if. 9.12pm BST21:12 67 min: Karim Benzema, who has faded in the second half, is replaced by Javier Hernandez, Real’s hero against Atletico Madrid. 9.11pm BST21:11 66 min: Juventus probe carefully down the right. Tevez knocks a pass down the line for Marchisio and his brilliant low cross into the middle just eludes Morata at the far post! From there, Madrid counter ... and Bale, attempting to streak past Chiellini, runs the ball out of play for a goal-kick. There are whistles and jeers. 9.09pm BST21:09 65 min: Real have 25 minutes to find a goal that would force extra-time. 9.08pm BST21:08 63 min: The Bernanbeu thought this was in! It wasn’t. James Rodriguez cut Juventus open with a beautiful backheel through to Marcelo on the overlap. He cut it back to Bale and his volley from six yards out brushed off Chiellini’s shins and skipped an inch past the right post! A goal-kick is awarded. Bale can’t believe it. 9.07pm BST21:07 62 min: Marcelo toe-pokes a lovely cross into the middle. Evra bullets a header away before Bale can get his head to the ball. 9.06pm BST21:06 61 min: Real look flat. They need a second wind. 9.05pm BST21:05 59 min: The Bernabeu is stunned. I wouldn’t say the goal had been on the cards, but Juventus had a grip of the game in the spell leading up to it. 9.04pm BST21:04 GOAL!!!!!! Real Madrid 1-1 Juventus (Morata 57 min; Juventus lead 3-2 on aggregate) This is so simple. Pirlo whips the free-kick into the six-yard box. Under pressure, Casillas does brilliantly to punch the ball off Chiellini’s head. But Real fall to pieces from there. The ball is up-and-undered back into the area and Real haven’t got out quickly enough. Pogba is still onside on the left and his header into the middle falls to the unmarked Morata. He chests the ball down and then absolutely larrumps a left-footer through Varane’s legs and past the unsighted Casillas from 12 yards! He’s done it against his old club again! Morata chooses not to celebrate. But what a huge goal that could be! Updated at 10.22pm BST 9.01pm BST21:01 57 min: Juventus have been dominant in the past few minutes and Ramos bundles Vidal over on the right flank. The Bernabeu is edgy. And... Updated at 9.02pm BST 9.00pm BST21:00 56 min: Tevez is playing very deep. 8.59pm BST20:59 55 min: Are Real growing nervy? Possession is gifted to Vidal just outside the area, but Morata is offside from his pass! There was a sharp intake of breath around the Bernabeu. Updated at 9.00pm BST 8.58pm BST20:58 53 min: Marcelo bobbles a shot wide from 20 yards. “I’m hoping that Isco spends his summer hols in Northern California, so we could have the inevitable scandal deadline: ‘Isco spends the night in ‘Frisco at every kind of disco’,” announces Russ Brady. 8.57pm BST20:57 52 min: Pogba surges inside from the right and Madrid are worried. Juventus have a two-on-one situation developing on the right of the area - but Pogba plays the pass straight to Marcelo. What a let-off! What a waste! Depending on which side you’re rooting for. 8.56pm BST20:56 51 min: This is better from Juventus. Tevez, the main man, knocks a pass inside to Marchisio. He takes a touch and decides to have a shot from 25 yards. It’s hit firmly, but the ball fizzes a yard or two wide of Casillas’s right post. 8.55pm BST20:55 50 min: For a moment, Juventus were exposed. Tevez snuck a pass into Vidal’s feet on the edge of the area and if he had been able to turn, he would have been able to free Pogba on the left. He wasn’t sharp enough, though, and the move lost its momentum. Eventually Pogba curls a dismal cross out for a goal-kick. Is he fit? He’s struggling to make an impact. 8.54pm BST20:54 49 min: Real have started strongly. Juventus have offered little. But there’s time. 8.52pm BST20:52 47 min: Marcelo’s cross is far too high for Ronaldo. “A respected soccer journalist here in the US tweeted before the game that this was a match for Paul Pogba to show his talent for the “big clubs” looking to tempt him from Juventus,” says Daniel Schulwolf. “What has the world come to that Juve aren’t considered as big a club as say, Manchester City, in the eyes of people who are actually employed to write about the game? The heyday of Serie A in the 1990s seems a long time ago...” Money talks. 8.50pm BST20:50 46 min: But no. With Real back on the pitch, Juventus get us going again. “Is is cowardly to pray for a Juve goal just to liven things up a bit?” says Ian Copestake. “Failing that I actually found that the Max Max trailer blew my bits away. The film may or may not be pants but the trailer is worth not paying the entrance fee alone.” 8.49pm BST20:49 Here they come. Nice of them to join us. The referee should have let Juventus kick off while Real were still in the tunnel. 8.48pm BST20:48 Juventus are already back out. Real Madrid are keeping them waiting. Clever, clever. 8.40pm BST20:40 “Real looking much the better side, but consider this: if Isco has to be subbed fearing second yellow for consistent fouls (or handballs) Madrid, short on midfielders still, could have a matchup problem when someone less talented and/or less hardworking has to deal with Pogba, Vidal, Pirlo in the middle,” says Seth Elliott Meyer. A good point, but something else to consider is that Pirlo hasn’t been great. He’s struggled to live with the pace of the game and his radar has been off. Could Juventus inject more pace into their attack? Real are defending high. 8.34pm BST20:34 Half-time: Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus (2-2 on aggregate; Real Madrid lead on away goals) An engrossing first half is over. Real Madrid lead thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty and are 45 minutes from reaching the final. They should be further ahead, however, and a Juventus goal changes everything. Do they have one in them, though? They’ve been held at arm’s length so far. 8.32pm BST20:32 45 min: There will be one minute of stoppage time. 8.31pm BST20:31 44 min: James Rodriguez tumbles again in the Juventus area. This time he’s booked for diving. It was a bit of a preposterous fall, although Vidal was quite lucky not to foul him. 8.30pm BST20:30 43 min: Juventus are aggrieved about a few tight refereeing calls going against them. They need to remain calm, though. 8.29pm BST20:29 42 min: From the resulting corner, Ramos heads over the bar from Kroos’s delivery. 8.28pm BST20:28 41 min: Real have been fairly quiet up front for the past 10 minutes, but here’s a warning for Juventus. They lose the ball carelessly and Bale looks up and wafts a lovely pass over the top to Ronaldo. He takes the ball in his stride and, from 20 yards, he blasts a rising shot inches past the far post, the ball flying past Buffon, but into the side-netting. Moments later, Real are threatening down that side again. Benzema breaks into the area and dips outside, but his low shot is tipped wide by Buffon at his near post. 8.25pm BST20:25 39 min: Benzema rolls his studs over the ball and batters a no-backlift effort over from 20 yards. 8.24pm BST20:24 37 min: Evra wins a corner on the left, Bale tracking back well. Pirlo’s corner is headed away. Real are defending well at set-pieces. 8.23pm BST20:23 36 min: Kroos is caught out of position and Juventus are able to mount a lightning counter-attack, Tevez in charge of the controls. Again, though, the final ball, this time from Vidal, is poor. 8.22pm BST20:22 35 min: Tevez slithers a pass to Evra on the left. His cutback is miscontrolled by Tevez and the flag goes up against Morata for offside. Juventus could do with a touch more conviction in the final third. 8.20pm BST20:20 32 min: Isco is booked for bringing Tevez down in the middle. Moments later, Morata swivels on the edge of the area and shoots. His effort is deflected wide for a corner. Evra scampers off to collect the ball, but for some reason some pathetic simpleton behind the ball refuses to give it to him. What a whopper. Eject the idiot, please! Nothing comes from the corner. 8.18pm BST20:18 30 min: Kroos curls the corner into the middle and Benzema’s twists his neck muscles and directs a header goalwards. Buffon makes a fine save, diving to his left and holding on. 8.17pm BST20:17 29 min: Real break from the resulting corner and Ronaldo should double their lead. Only for his unselfishness to let him down. Yep. Honest. He was released on the left of the area by Benzema and after making a fool of Lichsteiner, he looks certain to score. Instead of shooting, though, for some reason he decides to chip a cross to the far post instead, looking for Bale, and it’s headed away. Real have to settle for a corner, from which Ramos’s acrobatic overhead kick is deflected behind for another corner on the left. Updated at 8.38pm BST 8.15pm BST20:15 28 min: This is a good response from Juventus. Vidal sprays a pass out to Morata on the right and his clever low cross has to be shovelled behind at the far post by Carvajal. 8.14pm BST20:14 27 min: Pogba tries to burst past Carvajal on the left, but the Real right-back holds him off and shepherds the ball behind for a goal-kick. Pogba wants a free-kick, but he’s not getting one. 8.12pm BST20:12 26 min: Bale and Evra are both down after an accidental clash of heads. They will require some treatment. “Oh no, stadium music after a goal,” Kevin Porter says. “Nausea.” 8.11pm BST20:11 24 min: Juventus have to score now. If they’re not careful, this could get ugly. 8.11pm BST20:11 GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus (Ronaldo pen, 23 min; 2-2 agg, Real lead on away goals) Cristiano Ronaldo missed one against Valencia on the weekend. But no one else was going to take this one. Gigi Buffon dives to his right, but Ronaldo sidefoots the ball high down the middle with his right foot and Real are ahead on away goals! The goal had been coming. Updated at 8.29pm BST 8.09pm BST20:09 PENALTY TO REAL MADRID! 22 min: James Rodriguez drives into the area from the left, goes down under a challenge from Chiellini and the referee points to the spot immediately! Juventus are furious, insisting that Rodriguez dived, but the replays show that there was a kick in the back of his calf from Chiellini! Updated at 8.41pm BST 8.08pm BST20:08 21 min: The resulting corner is headed away as far as Kroos. His bouncing volley from 20 yards is blocked. Juventus are going to have to be very, very resilient. 8.07pm BST20:07 20 min: Gareth Bale, who hasn’t done too much yet, cuts inside on to his left foot and skelps one goalwards from 25 yards. Buffon flies through the air and pushes it behind for a corner! That’s a cracking save! 8.06pm BST20:06 19 min: Real are racking up the chances. They’re surely going to score soon. Juventus are completely caught cold by Marcelo’s ball down the inside-left channel, Benzema peeling clear of his markers and beating the offside trap. He’s too far wide for a shot, so he rolls the ball into the six-yard box - but it’s just behind Ronaldo and Chiellini hacks it clear desperately! 8.04pm BST20:04 18 min: Benzema flips a cross into the area from the left. It’s just too far for Bale. But Real aren’t going away. On the right, Isco twists and turns and works a yard of space for a shot, but his effort drifts harmlessly over the bar. 8.03pm BST20:03 17 min: Pirlo’s corner is headed away by Ramos. “Whichever of these teams makes it through to the final, both participants in said final will be wearing their first choice kit,” notes Simon McMahon. “I think we can all be glad of that. Away kits have no place in a Champions League final.” 8.03pm BST20:03 16 min: Lichsteiner knocks a pass down the right channel. Morata’s low cross is deflected behind for a corner. 8.02pm BST20:02 15 min: Nothing is more worrying for Juventus than the prospect of Real overwhelming Pirlo. He didn’t look very sharp here, dawdling in possession and losing the ball near the halfway line, but he got away with it. 8.01pm BST20:01 13 min: This is fascinating. Tevez marauds inside from the left, helping Juventus up the pitch, and lays the ball off to Vidal. He shoots from 25 yards and Casillas has to dive low to his left and push the Chilean’s daisycutter away. “Jacob - why are football fans so partisan all the time?” wonders Dante Danger. “It’s always a Crisis or world beating form. Look at bale - ignoring the price tag for a second, he had a very good first season, both in terms of goals, assist and trophies. Second season, not quite as effective but the whole team haven’t been quite as good this year. What do Real Fans want, to win every game all the time playing like samba football with a goalkeeper who makes zero mistakes? How boring would that be!?” Updated at 8.16pm BST 7.58pm BST19:58 11 min: That familiar pose. Arms by his side, legs slightly wide apart. That bouncing run-up. Ronaldo puts his laces through the ball, it flies over the Juventus wall. It’s dipping, it’s wobbling, it’s screaming, it’s heading in - until Gigi Buffon brushes the ball over the bar. That’s an excellent save, but Real could have had three already. If it continues like this, it’s hard to see how Juventus survive. Updated at 8.10pm BST 7.56pm BST19:56 10 min: A poor clearance from Buffon is headed back into Juventus territory. Bonnuci panics and brings Ronaldo down 25 yards from goal. He’ll fancy this. 7.55pm BST19:55 9 min: Carvajal is in acres of space on the right again. This time, however, his centre is too close to Buffon. 7.54pm BST19:54 8 min: If you may permit me to state the bleedin’ obvious, this is not going to finish 0-0. 7.54pm BST19:54 6 min: This is shaping up to be a stone-cold classic. After that spell of pressure from Juventus, it’s Real’s turn to probe. There’s plenty of space on the flanks. Carvajal swings a cross into the area from the right. It reaches Benzema and he shows great strength to hold off Bonnuci and then wonderful skill to turn the Juventus defender. Out of nowhere, he can see the whites of Buffon’s eyes - only to blaze the ball over the bar with his left foot from close range! That’s a bad miss. 7.52pm BST19:52 4 min: Juventus continue to press, Evra winning a corner on the left. Pirlo takes it short and eventually Vidal wriggles clear. He slams a cross into the area, but Bonucci mistimes his header, the ball flying straight back to Vidal, who had no chance of getting back from an offside position in time. 7.50pm BST19:50 3 min: This is a positive start from Juventus. A rat-a-tat exchange between Vidal and Morata lends Tevez some space on the edge of the area, Real suddenly very open. However Tevez’s pass to Pogba is too close to Carvajal. 7.49pm BST19:49 2 min: Juventus attack. Morata outstrengths Ramos on the right and slides a pass down the line to Lichsteiner. He can’t beat Kroos, though. 7.48pm BST19:48 And we’re off! Real Madrid, kicking from right to left in the first half, get the ball rolling. You know what they’re wearing. Juventus are decked out in their blue away kit. Real are on the front foot immediately. Marcelo charges down the left, appearing to take Juventus by surprise, and swings a cross to the far post, where Bale nuts an inviting chance over the bar! He might have done better there. That probably won’t help him win the fans over. Updated at 8.04pm BST 7.43pm BST19:43 The teams are out. Are you excited? We’re all excited. It’s Real Madrid. It’s Juventus. It’s Real Madrid! It’s Juventus! It’s Real Madrid versus Juventus! Updated at 8.17pm BST 7.28pm BST19:28 If you’re a Juventus fan and you’re in need of an omen, know this: on this day in 2007, Carlos Tevez scored West Ham’s winner at Old Trafford. And in 2012, he was in the Manchester City side that won the title. Then again, Patrice Evra was in the United side that lost to West Ham. 7.17pm BST19:17 High in the stands at Bernabeu - and the stands are very high at the Bernabeu - a banner reads RESPETO PARA IKER. Which, unless I’m very much mistaken, means Respect For Iker. There’s not been much of it about in the past few weeks. “Casillas is looking for his fourth Champions League title and this will be his 150th game in the competition,” Sid Lowe wrote in today’s Guardian. “But it may also be his last. Although not at fault for either goal, he was whistled during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend that effectively ended Madrid’s hopes of winning the title and, for the first time, he responded to those whistles. Cameras caught him muttering that he was “sick” of it. “Up yours,” he could be seen to say.” Updated at 7.17pm BST 7.09pm BST19:09 Gareth Bale has not scored in his last six games. His agent, Jonathan Barnett, says his team-mates aren’t passing him. He looks low on confidence. The fans aren’t happy with him. It’s all set up for him to score the winner, isn’t it. 7.06pm BST19:06 So what about those teams? Juventus make one change from last week, Paul Pogba back from injury and in for Sturaro, who played well in Turin. Pogba’s return is a massive lift for Juventus; he scored on the weekend. Could his presence help Juventus win the midfield battle? It will take some doing - there aren’t many better midfielders than Toni Kroos, Isco and James Rodriguez, although the worry for Real is that there could be a lack of protection for the defence. Up front, though, is where the magic happens and the good news for them is that Karim Benzema starts. This is almost too tight to call. “I know it’s Real Madrid at home, and I know they need to win, but is starting without a single midfielder that can actually tackle not just asking for trouble?” says Andrew Fletcher. “Juventus look more balanced.” 7.01pm BST19:01 These two have knock-out history in this competition. In 1998, they met in the final, Predrag Mijatovic’s quick thinking and alertness in the box sealing a 1-0 win for Real Madrid in Amsterdam. But Juventus had their revenge when they met in the semi-final five years later. They lost 2-1 in Spain in the first leg, but produced one of the great European performances back in Turin. With Ronaldo only fit enough for a place on the bench for Real, David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero scored in the first half, Gigi Buffon saved a second-half penalty from Luis Figo and Pavel Nedved, whose outstanding night was marred by a booking that ruled him out of the final, raced clear near the end to score a brilliant volley. Zinedine Zidane scored in the 89th minute for Real, but Juventus held on. But lost to Milan in the final. And in 2005, they met in the last 16. Juventus won 2-1 on aggregate. But lost to Liverpool in the next round. Can’t remember what they went on to do. 6.47pm BST18:47 The teams Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Isco, James Rodriguez; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo. Subs: Navas, Pepe, Coentrao, Arbeloa, Illarramendi, Jese, Hernandez. Juventus: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pirlo; Marchisio, Pogba; Vidal; Tevez, Morata. Subs: Storari, Barzagli, Padoin, Pereyra, Sturaro, Coman, Llorente. Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden). Updated at 7.07pm BST 6.35pm BST18:35 Paul Pogba is starting for Juventus. I’ll have the full teams for you shortly. 6.00pm BST18:00 Preamble The prize on offer for one of these sides tonight is a meeting with Barcelona in Berlin. A meeting with Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Neymar. Luis Suarez. Lionel Messi. Put them in any order you like, it doesn’t get any less terrifying. Say it like that and it’s not much of a prize. In fact, the prospect of playing against those three would be enough to fill any defence with a world-record sense of foreboding. You’d have foreboding coming out of your ears and your nose and other orifices if you had to try and stop them, so maybe what we’ll see tonight is the defenders of Real Madrid and Juventus attempting to outdo each other for spectacular own-goals and suspiciously underhit backpasses, just so they don’t have to experience what Jerome Boateng went through in Barcelona last week. But you’ll get nowhere in life that kind of attitude! Bring on Barcelona! Bring on Luis Suarez! Bring on Neymar! Bring on ... okay, maybe let’s not bring on Lionel Messi. But you get the point. For Real Madrid, the prize on offer is a chance to become the first side to retain this trophy in the Champions League era. For Juventus, a first final in 12 years, when they were beaten on penalties by Milan in a <sarcasm>memorable match at Old Trafford</sarcasm>, is within touching distance. They can smell it. The balance of power is marginally in Juventus’s favour after their excellent performance in Turin last Tuesday. They started brilliantly, reacted well to Cristiano Ronaldo’s equaliser and deserved their victory on the night. Carlos Tevez, who finally looks at home on Europe’s grandest stage, was wonderful and their defence was solid. They are strong on the counter-attack and more than capable of scoring at the Bernabeu tonight. Could a Treble be on the way? They have the Serie A title in the bag already and they are in the final of the Coppa Italia. This could yet be a famous season for the Old Lady, although it does seem odd to seem them cast in the unlikely role of plucky underdogs given that they are, y’know, Juventus, the biggest club in Italy and two-time European champions. In the context of this tie, though, it makes sense - and not just because it’s impossible to root against Andrea Pirlo and Gigi Buffon. They are up against Real Madrid, after all, and the fear for Juventus is that they may live to regret only winning the first leg 2-1 - Fernando Llorente may live to regret that duff header near the end. If Real click up front, if Ronaldo is in the mood, it could be a long evening for Max Allegri’s side, no matter how tough they are. Yet Real are not in great shape. The pressure is growing on Carlo Ancelotti. Yet again, he has presided over an underwhelming campaign in the league - Real’s draw with Valencia on the weekend the title race will be over if Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid this Sunday - and he looks increasingly likely to be sacked at the end of the season. He won the Champions League and the Copa Del Rey last year, but the itch on Florentino Perez’s trigger finger is becoming impossible to ignore. Yet if there is something a little unconvincing about Ancelotti, it is also true that he knows how to win in this competition. Perhaps he is going to pull something out of the hat. Questions abound. Will Ancelotti help his men rediscover their mojo? Can Ronaldo inspire them to victory? Will Sergio Ramos play in midfield again? Will anyone pass to Gareth Bale? We’ll find out soon enough. Kick-off: 8.45pm in Madrid, 7.45pm in all-important London. Updated at 6.12pm BST |