Scouting the enemy: A guide to Juventus
Players to watch out for
Paulo Dybala
The 24-year-old Argentine is one of the most unfulfilled prophecies in world football. There have been comparisons with his compatriot who plays for Real’s eternal rivals Barcelona. Given the stature and style of play, the Messi comparisons are inevitable.
However, Dybala did fall short somewhere and many feel that this is the year when Paulo Dybala comes off his own. There is no doubting his ability, but, there are constant eyeballs on how consistently can he perform. The defeat to Real Madrid in Cardiff last year put further speculation on the youngster.
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He began the season brightly, yet, as the autumn approached, there was a significant dip in form. Paul Nedved went on public record warning Dybala to get his act together – a sentiment echoed by Massimiliano Allegri.
Dybala looks like he is getting there finally with impressive performances against Spurs and AC Milan. The free-flowing role that Dybala has in this side is one of the most pivotal in the Juve squad.
Paulo, apart from his ability to score beautiful goals, could play a game-maker role too. As a result, Zidane needs to be very aware of his movements in the game.
Gonzalo Higuain
Higuain, an ex-Real Madrid striker, will be up against his old friends from the Spanish Capital. Since leaving Spain, Higuain has been in Italy – first with Napoli and now with Juventus for two seasons now. Higuain is probably one of the best centre forwards in the game right now.
He can score all kinds of goals from any sort of distance, he’s capable of maneuvering with the ball, and creates space for his teammates to run into.
Higuain has developed a defensive edge to the work he does on the field coupled with his intelligent movements on and off the ball. He could prove to be a handful for the Real Madrid back-line and hence a key player to look out for.
Mario Mandžukić
There are reports suggesting the Croatian could be fit to face Real Madrid. If he does, it could add further fire to the attacking prospects of the Bianconeri. Erstwhile a striker, Mandžukić now operates on the wings and is the best at what he does.
Also known as Super Mario, Mandžukić is a dominating winger who always looks to cut inside the opposition full backs. Off the ball, he always looks to engage the opposition fullbacks to allow Alex Sandro to run in the vacated spaces movement while attacking. The best example of this is the goal scored by Juventus in the Champions League Final last year.