The last time Juventus faced off against Borussia Dortmund was nearly 18 years ago on May 28, 1997. It was during the 1996/1997 UEFA Champions League final and is certainly a day that die Schwarzgelben supporters will remember fondly as it was the day that the Bundesliga outfit won their first--and only to date--Champions League trophy.
What will make this indeed an interesting clash is the startling contrast in Juventus and Borussia Dortmund's domestic campaigns thus far. For the visitors, this season has been nothing short of a nightmare that even the most keen German football fan would not have predicted. After all, it was only four years ago that saw them win the domestic title in 2011, followed by retaining it in 2012 and making it to the Champions League final in 2013, which was a historic one as it was the first time it was contested by two German outfits.
At one point this season, Jurgen Klopp's squad were actually dead last in the league. Certainly, many would understand that it is hard to stay competitive when Bayern Munich has snatched up two of one's best players in recent seasons in their quest to nullify the competition. And, of course, there have been the issue of injuries, with talismanic attacker Marco Reus having a rough first half of the season after unfortunately missing out on the World Cup.
But nonetheless, given their overall fighting spirit and general quality, they have not surprisingly done well in their European campaign, topping their group ahead of Arsenal with a well-earned 13 points. As such, they pose a threat to la Vecchia Signora's ambitions to make it to the final eight, and domestically, have seen their fortunes improve dramatically. Three straight wins have moved them up into 12th place, which, given the class of this side is still not something to smile about, but at the very least gives them a small buffer from the relegation threatened sides.
Any calcio follower is well aware of how Juventus has dominated Italy for the past few seasons, and looking at things, that is not likely to change. Roma and Napoli attempted last term, but fell way short as they streamrolled to a record setting 102 points. Massimiliano Allegri's men were surprisingly held to a draw with Cesena recently and needed one of Andrea Pirlo's trademark beauties to defeat a determined Atalanta, but given the poor 2015 the Giallorossi have had so far, the Scudetto looks safe to remain in Turin for another season (and perhaps a few more).
However, in Europe, the Bianconeri did not experience such smooth sailing and were fortunate to squeak by into second behind Atletico Madrid as they had Greek outfit Olympiakos who earned nine points--just one behind them. And, following their disappointing performance last season that saw them dumped out of the group stages and unable to make the Europa League final in their own stadium, they will be feeling some pressure after they were slammed by some sections of the Italian press.
The one thing Juventus do have going for them is the security of Juventus Stadium, which has been a fortress for the Turin giants over the past few seasons. No side since Bayern Munich in April 2013 has been able to depart with a win, so it will be interesting if Dortmund, who ended up losing to die Roten in that season's Champions League final, will be the one to finally snap their impressive unbeaten streak. Or if the hosts, as Serie A's sole representative will make amends from last year in their quest to extend their dominance in football outside of just Italy and plant one foot firmly in the quarter-finals.
Team sheets for Juventus vs Borussia Dortmund
Juventus' lineup: Buffon, Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra, Marchisio, Pirlo, Pogba, Vidal, Tevez, Morata.
Dortmund's lineup: Weidenfeller, Piszczek, Sokratis, Hummels, Schmelzer, Gündogan, Sahin, Mkhitaryan, Reus, Aubameyang, Immobile
Juventus' bench: Storari, Caceres, Ogbonna, Padoin, Pereyra, Coman, Llorente.
Dortmund's bench: Langerak, Ginter, Kirch, Kagawa, Kuba, Kehl, Ramos.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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