A European Classic to Set the Stage for the Ultimate Showdown

On Wednesday, the Santiago Bernabéu will host a European classic to whet the appetite for the ultimate football showdown. Four days before facing Barça in a potentially decisive league battle, Real Madrid welcomes Juventus aiming to make another statement in the third round of the Champions League and boost morale for Sunday's encounter with the Catalan team.

Real Madrid and Juventus have faced each other 22 times, 21 of those in the Champions League, producing unforgettable duels between the whites and the 'bianconeri'. The most recent encounter was this summer at the Club World Cup, where Xabi Alonso's team defeated the Turin squad in the round of 16 with a goal from Gonzalo. The record in the top continental competition slightly favors the Chamartín team, with ten victories compared to nine wins for the Vecchia Signora and two draws.

Beyond the quantity, the importance of victories in clashes between two of the most prestigious clubs in the Old Continent weighs heavily. Here again, Real Madrid asserts its dominance. Neither the merengue nor the Piedmontese side forgets Pedja Mijatovic's goal that ended, 27 years ago in Amsterdam, more than three decades of Real Madrid's drought in their favorite tournament. Nor Cristiano Ronaldo's bicycle kick that left the Juventus Stadium in awe, as well as Mehdi Benatia's penalty on Lucas Vázquez at the Bernabéu, which was crucial in Real Madrid's path to the Thirteenth.

This journey was led by Zinedine Zidane, whose transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid in the summer of 2001 was a masterstroke by Florentino Pérez. Wearing the '5' of the whites, now carried by Bellingham, the Marseille native couldn't prevent his Real Madrid's elimination by Juventus in the 2002-03 Champions League semifinals and also succumbed with the whites against his former team in the round of 16 two seasons later. Zizou's time for redemption came more than a decade later when, as Real Madrid's coach, he orchestrated a stunning second half in Cardiff that sealed the Twelfth and avenged the elimination by the Piedmontese team suffered two years earlier in the semifinals, where Álvaro Morata enforced the law of the ex.

Those past battles fuel the anticipation of a new clash catching both aristocratic sides in very different situations. Co-leader of the Champions League with a perfect score in the first two rounds and also leading the league, Real Madrid approaches the match with the chance to continue their good form. The whites' football isn't quite perfect and they rely too much on Mbappé's goals, who has scored 55.5% of the team's goals, but the results support Xabi Alonso's approach, who must carefully choose the lineup against Juventus to ensure his players are in the best possible condition for the showdown with Barça.

Rüdiger, Alaba, Ceballos, Huijsen, and Trent are out due to physical issues, as well as Carvajal, who is also suspended. The latter two are fine-tuning their condition and participated in part of the session with the group on Tuesday, so they shouldn't have problems being ready for Sunday against Barça, just like Huijsen, who is slightly behind. Until then, Xabi Alonso must manage without them and without Mendy, who has recovered from the injury that has kept him out since April but still lacks what is called competitive clearance. Thus, it's expected that Valverde will remain at right-back, Asencio will pair with Militao in the center of defense, and Arda Güler will regain control in midfield, after proving indispensable in Getafe.

Another Turk, Kenan Yildiz, is entrusted with a Juventus arriving at the clash with more struggles. Seventh in Serie A, where they recently fell to Como led by Cesc Fàbregas, the 'bianconeri' haven't had a good start in the Champions League either. They drew 4-4 in the opener against Borussia Dortmund after scoring two goals in injury time and also drew with Villarreal in the second round (2-2).

The thirteen goals conceded in eleven matches speak of a porous defense that can't find the formula to compete as they used to and has gone six games without a win. So much so that their coach, Croatian Igor Tudor, who replaced Thiago Motta last March, is starting to be questioned. A defeat at the Bernabéu could further undermine the credibility of a coach dealing with injuries to Bremer, Cabal, Pinsoglio, and Zhegrova.

Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Asencio, Militao, Carreras, Arda Güler, Tchouaméni, Bellingham, Mastantuono, Mbappé, and Vinicius.

Juventus: Di Gregorio, Gatti, Kelly, Rugani, Kalulu, Koopmeiners, Locatelli, Cambiaso, Conceiçao, David, and Yildiz.

Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia).

Time: 21:00 h.

Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu.

TV: Movistar Liga de Campeones.