Pressure back on as Madrid play Juve again
Zinedine Zidane said last week he wants to stay at Real Madrid but how welcome his wishes are will depend on the team’s Champions League tie against Juventus.
Real face Zidane’s former club in the first leg of the quarter-final on Tuesday, knowing their season, and perhaps the Frenchman’s future as coach, hinges on reaching the last four. It was the same in the previous round against PSG. Real’s limp La Liga title defence, combined with their early exit from the Copa del Rey, means they now have only one shot at winning a major trophy this term.
The mood in Madrid, however, is upbeat. Real have won 10 out of their last 11 matches, a run that has seen them brush aside PSG and move to within four points of second-placed Atletico in the league. They have scored 36 goals in that period. “The match comes at a good time for us,” Real forward Lucas Vazquez said. “We have been doing things well for the last few months, playing better, more goals, it’s a good moment and now we have to try to take advantage of it in this tie.”
Zidane therefore declared his intentions on Friday from a position of strength but lose to Juventus and his pledge might look more like a plea.
Despite winning back-to-back Champions Leagues and the La Liga title last year, he is still not immune to the weight of Real’s expectation. Zidane will be returning to Turin for the first time as a manager, his last outing as a player there coming in March 2005 when Real were beaten 2-0 by the Old Lady in the Champions League last 16.
David Trezeguet’s goal and an extra-time winner from Marcelo Zalayeta sealed victory for Juve, then managed by Fabio Capello, against a Real side that included David Beckham, Ronaldo and Thomas Gravesen.
Thirteen years on, Gianluigi Buffon is the only player likely to make a repeat appearance this week but the two current teams need no introduction, their latest meeting coming in the competition’s final last year. That 4-1 victory remains the high-point of Zidane’s Real tenure, not only because it earned him an unprecedented second consecutive Champions League crown but because of the sheer ruthlessness of the performance.
MADRID:
Ten months after claiming their 12th Champions League title with a 4-1 win over Juventus in Cardiff, Real Madrid travel to Turin for Tuesday’s quarter-final, first leg clash. Here are five talking points ahead of the 20th clash between the European giants: Zinedine Zidane (in pic) returns for the first time as a coach to the city where he forged his reputation as a player winning two Italian league titles, reaching two Champions League finals and winning a Ballon d’Or before moving to Real Madrid. “I became a man in Turin. I will always be Juventino,” says Zindine before adding that his “heart” was Spanish, with Real Madrid “the club of (his) life”. But the former World Cup winner added: “I would have liked to avoid Juventus, for lots of reasons.” Trailing Barcelona by 13 points in the La Liga, this is Real Madrid’s only chance of silverware this season. Cristiano Ronaldo beat Gianluigi Buffon twice in Cardiff and the Madrid star has been giving the veteran goalkeeper some sleepless nights. The 33-year-old has hit 21 goals in his last 11 Real Madrid appearances and struck a late brace to help Portugal come from behind to beat Egypt in a friendly last week. “When you play against a team like Real Madrid, taking one player away won’t make a huge difference. Having said that, knowing I’ll face Ronaldo will give me a few sleepless nights,” said the 40-year-old Buffon.
Paulo Dybala scored the winning goal against Tottenham and inspiring last weekend’s 3-1 win. The Argentinian missed the first leg against Tottenham, with the second leg proving that a game with Dybala in it is an entirely different sort of game. The teams have met 19 times, with Juventus winning eight and Madrid nine, including the finals in 1998 and 2017. But Juventus were the last team to eliminate Real Madrid, in 2015 semi-finals. Allegri faces two major absentees with Miralem Pjanic and Medhi Benatia suspended for the first leg. Italian veteran Giorgio Chiellini and Juan Cuadrado made it to Saturday’s game against AC Milan, with the Colombian scoring on his return after a three-month absence. Alex Sandro is set to return along with Croatian Mario Mandzukic. Real Madrid have no serious injuries.