It will be either Juventus or Real Madrid who will lift the Champions League trophy in 2017. (Source: File)
Real Madrid to face Juventus in UEFA Champions League final: A look at the road to the final for both clubs
Juventus and Real Madrid will meet in Cardiff on June 4 to decide the winner of the 2017 UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid to face Juventus in UEFA Champions League final: A look at the road to the final for both clubs
Juventus and Real Madrid will meet in Cardiff on June 4 to decide the winner of the 2017 UEFA Champions League.
It will be either Juventus or Real Madrid who will be left with the UEFA Champions League trophy in their hands in June at Cardiff. The two teams have played 12 matches. While Juventus have remained unbeaten in their campaign so far, Real’s perfect record was tarnished by their defeat in the second leg to cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid.
Let’s take a look at the route that the two sides took to the final.
Juventus
Let’s take a look at the route that the two sides took to the final.
Juventus
Juventus convincingly got the better of Barcelona in Turin during the first leg of the quarters. (Source: AP)
The Italian champions were placed in a group alongwith Sevilla, Olympique Lyonnais and Dynamo Zagreb. They qualified as champions of the group for the Round of 16 where they faced Porto. The Portuguese side were well out of their depth and lost 2-0 at home before losing the second leg 1-0 at the Juventus stadium. Juve then saw off Spanish giants Barcelona 3-0 on aggregate before finally beating Monaco in the semi-final 4-1. Throughout the campaign, Juve have conceded only three goals. It is their second Champions League final in three years. Last time, they were blown away by Barcelona in the final stage and they now face Barca’s bitter rivals.
Real Madrid
The Italian champions were placed in a group alongwith Sevilla, Olympique Lyonnais and Dynamo Zagreb. They qualified as champions of the group for the Round of 16 where they faced Porto. The Portuguese side were well out of their depth and lost 2-0 at home before losing the second leg 1-0 at the Juventus stadium. Juve then saw off Spanish giants Barcelona 3-0 on aggregate before finally beating Monaco in the semi-final 4-1. Throughout the campaign, Juve have conceded only three goals. It is their second Champions League final in three years. Last time, they were blown away by Barcelona in the final stage and they now face Barca’s bitter rivals.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo consecutive hat-tricks against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid. (Source: Reuters)
The tournament’s defending champions, Real were clubbed in a group with Borussia Dortmund, Legia Warsaw and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo’s boyhood club Sporting CP. Like Juve, they emerged from the group unbeaten. Unlike Juve, they finished two points behind Dortmund and faced Napoli in the Round of 16. They won both legs 3-1 and advanced into the quarter-final to face German heavyweights Bayern Munich. In a match that was remembered more for the referee’s mistakes than Cristiano Ronaldo’s second-leg hat-trick, Real beat Bayern 6-3 on aggregate before proceeding to beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 in the semi-final. Since the UEFA Champions League replaced the erstwhile European Cup, Real Madrid are only the third side after Ajax and Manchester United to have won the tournament and reach the final in the subsequent year. If Real beat Juventus, they will be first team to defend their title since the tournament was rechristened and the first team since Milan in 1990 to do so.
The tournament’s defending champions, Real were clubbed in a group with Borussia Dortmund, Legia Warsaw and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo’s boyhood club Sporting CP. Like Juve, they emerged from the group unbeaten. Unlike Juve, they finished two points behind Dortmund and faced Napoli in the Round of 16. They won both legs 3-1 and advanced into the quarter-final to face German heavyweights Bayern Munich. In a match that was remembered more for the referee’s mistakes than Cristiano Ronaldo’s second-leg hat-trick, Real beat Bayern 6-3 on aggregate before proceeding to beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 in the semi-final. Since the UEFA Champions League replaced the erstwhile European Cup, Real Madrid are only the third side after Ajax and Manchester United to have won the tournament and reach the final in the subsequent year. If Real beat Juventus, they will be first team to defend their title since the tournament was rechristened and the first team since Milan in 1990 to do so.
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