Game Day: Preview of Champions League Final Between Madrid and Juventus

Preview

This is the 19th encounter between Juventus and Real Madrid – all in the European Cup/Champions League, making this the second-most played fixture in the history of the tournament after Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (24).

Juventus and Real Madrid have eight wins each and two draws. However, their only previous meeting in the Champions League final saw Real Madrid win 1-0 in 1998 thanks to a Predrag Mijatovic goal.

Real Madrid have reached the European Cup/Champions League final for the 15th time, four more than any other club (AC Milan have reached 11). They’ve won 11 of the previous 14 – again more than any other team in history.

Juventus have won only two of their eight European Cup/Champions League finals. They’ve lost their last four – in 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2015.

Real Madrid are attempting to become the first team since AC Milan (1989, 1990) to win back-to-back European Cup/Champions League trophies.

Real Madrid have reached the final for the third time in four seasons.

A season to remember

Juventus are the only unbeaten team in this season’s Champions League – they have won nine and drawn three. They are the first team since Atletico Madrid in 2013/14 to reach the final without losing a single game.

Juventus have conceded only three goals in 12 Champions League games this season. Only one team had reached the final with fewer goals conceded under the current format (since 2003/04) – Arsenal in 2005/06 (2).

Real Madrid have scored in every single one of their 12 games in the Champions League this season (32 goals, most prolific attack) but have also kept only one clean sheet, against Atlético Madrid in the semi-final first leg (3-0).

Juventus have never trailed at any point in this season’s knockout phase.

If he plays, Gianluigi Buffon will be the third oldest player to feature in a European Cup/Champions League final (39 years, 4 months) after Dino Zoff (41 years, 2 months in the 1983 final) and Edwin van der Sar (40 years, 6 months in the 2011 final).

Kick off is 7.45pm Nigerian Time on Saturday evening.