Real Madrid draw Juventus in the quarter-finals of the Champions League
By Alex McVey
The draw is in, and Real Madrid now have their next opponent in the Champions League – Italy’s Juventus. Here’s what that means for Madrid.
Real Madrid are going to get a rematch of the Champions League final, this time in the quarter-finals, as they were drawn against Juventus. Barcelona got what is perhaps the easiest draw in Roma, with Sevilla squaring off against Bayern, and Liverpool against Manchester City.
This draw is a very middle-of-the-road matchup in terms of the difficulty of Madrid’s potential opponents. Juventus is a really quality team, something they put on display in their come-back victory against Tottenham. But at the same time, I think most Madridistas would have preferred Juve to Bayern, Barcelona, and Manchester City, given the current form of those clubs.
The Champions League quarterfinal draw is complete!
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 16, 2018
What's the tie of the round? pic.twitter.com/HR0Q6u9Xqf
Juve have a strong outfit built around the attacking prowess of Paulo Dybala and ex-Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, and the defensive nous of Giorgio Chiellini and iconic goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. They have made deep runs in the Champions League a number of times over the past few years, making it to the final against Madrid in 2017, and against Barcelona in 2015. That year, 2015, Juventus eliminated Real Madrid from the tournament in the semi-finals, on the back of two goals over two legs from then-ex-but-soon-to-be-current-then-ex-again (whew!) Real Madrid player Alvaro Morata.
Going into the Champions League final last season, the historical record between Juventus and Madrid was quite even, with eight wins and two draws apiece. Los Blancos sealed their second consecutive Champions League with their ninth win against Juve, eking forward in the historical head-to-head.
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Juve will be missing two important players for the first leg in Turin, as Medhi Benatia, a defender, and Miralem Pjanić, a midfielder, have both accumulated enough yellow cards to receive a suspension.