Ahead of the UEFA Champions League final on June 3rd between the defending Champions Real Madrid and Juventus, football fanatics in Ghana have been sharing their thoughts on which team will win the 65th edition of the tournament.
Although Ghanaian midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah will be the center of attraction for the citizens, there are also many who have a divided opinion on who should carry the day.
Whilst others are of the view that Ronaldo must win title in other to annex the Balon D’or to equal Messi’s five others believe that a win for the Juventus will end Gianluigi Buffon’s long run without the European title.
The 19th encounter between Juventus and Real Madrid-all in the Champions League, is the second-most played fixture in the history of Europe’s premier club competition after Bayern Munich v Real Madrid.
On their way to the finals Juventus knocked out five time winners Barcelona at the quarter-final stages coupled with another victory against French side Monaco in the semi-final, whilst Real Madrid also overcame five time winners Bayern Munich followed by Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid at the quarter-final and semi-final stages respectively.
The head-to-head record between Juventus and Real Madrid is perfectly balanced, with eight wins each and two draws. However, their only meeting in the final saw Real Madrid win 1-0 in 1998 thanks to a Pedrag Mijatovic goal.
Sharing his thoughts ahead of the game, Luís Figo, a winner with Real Madrid in 2002 said “everything is possible in football. Juventus's defensive structure is strong, but Real Madrid's attack is also very dangerous which is why I think the duels will be interesting, and whoever wins more individually will come out on top. I think that it will be an interesting duel pitting two different styles against each other, with two very strong football cultures and great players.”
Meanwhile, Pavel Nedv?d, Juventus vice-president also said “we have been waiting for victory for 21 years. Juventus won this competition for the last time in 1996. We've reached the final on several occasions since but never won it. That's why our expectations are big. The team is very focused, relaxed and not feeling the pressure.”
Juventus lost the opportunity to win the trophy after they were mauled 3-1 by the winners Barcelona.
Real Madrid on the other hand won the trophy last year after they defeated rivals Atletico Madrid 5-3 on penalty shoot out.
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