The road to Cardiff has been one of stellar defense, and superb goaltending for Italy’s Juventus. Gigliani Buffon and the brick wall back line have only conceded 3 goals all Champions league. It’s been a while since Juve has one the trophy, they’ve done it twice, in 1985 and 1996, but have lost in the final six times – more than any other club. Most recent being in 2015 against FC Barcelona.
Things appear to be different this time around though for Juve.
They coasted there group play, and have been absolutely dominant in the knockout stage. Juve beat FC Porto 3-0, FC Barcelona 3-0, and AS Monaco 4-1, all on aggregate. None of those teams are walks in the park, but Juventus made them seem like a Sunday stroll.
Juventus are 9-0-3 in this season’s competition, and are seeking to become the first team to lift the trophy unbeaten since Manchester United in 2007-08.
Breaking down Juventus
Non ha mai smesso di crederci, Capitan @gianluigibuffon. Nemmeno noi. ⚪️⚫️ https://t.co/bwUWK7y3R9 #JuveASM #ItsTime pic.twitter.com/E91wNHamX3
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) May 9, 2017
When talking about Juventus, it all starts with Gianluigi Buffon and the back line. They were on a streak of six matches without conceding until the second leg against AS Monaco. It ended their run of not conceding at 690 minutes, the second longest in Champions League history behind Arsenal’s 995 minutes in 2005-06.
That streak is thanks to a very sound final third that teams just can’t figure out how to break.
Massimiliano Allegri has his team playing a brick wall defense. Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Andrea Barzagli are all in peak form, helping Buffon Out.
While the back line does their thing, it has created plenty of options on the counter attack. With Gonzalo Higuain (5 goals in 11 competitions) is proving he’s still one of the best strikers on the planet, it has opened up other options like, Paulo Dybala, Dani Alves, and Mario Mandzukic to have quality opportunities on net.
At the end of the day, this Champions League Final is going to be a high powered attack, versus a stout defense. We’ll have injury news, predictions, and more, as we get closer to June 3.
You may find Real Madrid’s preview here.