5 Cardiff talking points

REAL MADRID have netted in every one of their 12 games in the Champions League this season and top the scoring charts with 32 goals. Key to their success has been the careful management of star striker Cristiano Ronaldo who has been kept fresh for the big matches. Rivals Juventus have conceded just three goals. The likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Dani Alves have been solid at the back. WHEN Zinedine Zidane guided Real to glory against Atletico Madrid at the San Siro last summer, there were critics who said he only deserved partial credit as he had taken over from Rafael Benitez months earlier. The former Juve midfielder has since silenced most of his detractors by steering Real to a first La Liga title since 2012. Not only will Zidane enter an exclusive club if he lifts a second European Cup, he will be the first boss to retain the trophy in the Champions League era. EVEN at 39 Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon still has a few years left in him and can already boast an almost complete set of trophies, having won eight Serie A titles, three Italian Cups and a World Cup with Italy in 2006. The former Parma star – he won the UEFA Cup with them in 1999 – has lost the Champions League Final on two occasions, in 2003 and 2015. This could be his best chance to lift the silverware. WHEN Wales’ national stadium was chosen as the host venue for this year’s showpiece, Real winger Gareth Bale had further incentive to reach his third final. However, a calf injury has threatened to dash what could be the greatest night of the former Spurs man’s career. Bale has been named in Zidane’s squad for the final but is facing a battle to make the starting XI. A place on the bench is the best the Welshman can hope for. MANY Juve supporters were less than impressed when the board apointed former AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri in 2014. Any suspicions about his suitability have evaporated, though, and he is chasing a treble after picking up his sixth and seventh trophies for the Old Lady in May.