The champions of the Calcio A, Juventus F.C., will battle for the championship of European football on June 3, in Cardiff, Wales. The Italian club has faced the likes of Lyon, Sevilla, Barcelona, and Monaco. With only Real Madrid standing in the team’s way, strikers Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuaín, given the strong force of Real Madrid’s left side defense, will need to exploit the right side of Madrid’s defensive line to be successful.
Led by its unique formation of three central defenders, three center midfielders with two left and right wingbacks, and two strikers, Juventus will look to continue its current scoring formation running its famous 5-3-2 formation.
Juve has scored seven goals in their last three games, led by Higuaín and Dybala. The pair has been the one-two punch for Juventus all season: Dybala possesses the rare ability to speed past defenders, while Higuaín is known as a clinical finisher. While he doesn’t have the same level of pace that Dybala has, Higuaín makes up for it by being in the right place at the right time. In order for Juventus to walk away with a win, both Dybala and Higauín need to score by using their speed and opportunistic style to get past Pepe and Sergio Ramos. Madrid goalie Keylor Navas has been very shaky in recent games, so Dybala and Higuaín’s clinical finish will be crucial to secure a victory.
As for the midfield, Juventus has gotten consistent play from its veteran core, which consists of Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, and Claudio Marchisio. The three led Juve to their sixth consecutive Serie A title with a total of 11 goals and 14 assists. Each has the ability to control the game with an unparalleled combination of passing and shooting from a distance.
Real Madrid’s Modric and Kroos are two players who shy away from physicality in the midfield, a fact that Juvent can exploit.
Juventus’ new signing Dani Alves and Colombian player Juan Cuadrado will also play a pivotal role in the final. Alves has become the hero of Juventus’ tournament run, playing extremely well in both games of the team’s semi-final matchup against AS Monaco FC. Cuadrado is another dangerous offensive midfielder: his ability to break past a defender is unmatched by any other European footballer.
Finally, Juventus has been very fortunate to have three of the top center backs in all of football for the past several seasons: Giorgio Chiellini, Andre Barzagli, and Leonardo Bonucci. The trio has only given up one goal in seven games, and veteran goalkeeper and captain Gigi Buffon has also been in prime form. His eight Champions League clean sheets have been phenomenal, especially given his age. For Juve to bring the title back to Italy, the team will need a strong attacking presence from Dybala and lockdown defense from its big three center backs. Madrid has been a staple of Champions League football since they won the title last year, but if Juve continues its current form, they will win it all in Cardiff.
Jefferson
Just The Phacts 