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I know, I know. I can sense it. The fists have probably been balled up as you feel like smashing my teeth into my brain (some of you even doubt if I have one), but let’s be straight here: anything and everything can happen in football.
After Madrid desecrated the Old Lady with their radiant display in Turin, the task has become an uphill one for Max Allegri and his men. Real Madrid won 3-0 at Juventus’ backyard and the latter will need to return the favour if they want to qualify for the next round – which is the semi-final.
Scoring three goals at the Bernabeu is a difficult task – but not entirely impossible and here are 5 reasons why…
#5 Barcelona did it
Earlier in the season, when Madrid were supposed to win it all because they had the best squad in the world and because they had easily beaten Barca in the Spanish Super Cup just some months prior, Barcelona came to the Santiago Bernabeu and stunned the Galacticos with a 0-3 win.
For the first 45 minutes, Real Madrid were absolutely all over their eternal rivals but just lacked the goal that the good work deserved.
In the second half however, Barcelona seized upon Madrid’s impotence in the final third and scored three unanswered goals against Keylor Navas.
So if Barcelona could do it, the team that knocked them out from the Champions League last season could do it aswell.
#4 Complacency
"Everyone sees us going through to the semi-finals and that's exactly what we should not put in our head," Zidane said while addressing the media after Saturday’s draw against Atletico Madrid. "We know very well that we will have to suffer again on Wednesday."
Zidane knows. The Frenchman knows that while having a three-goal cushion before a home-leg is a great advantage, it could also cause players to feel complacent.
Ever since Madrid’s win at Turin, the general consensus among the fans and pundits – and even Juventus manager Max Allegri – is that Madrid are going to the semi-final.
And that is exactly what could lead to their downfall.
#3 Bernabeu not a fortress
One year ago, taking something off Real Madrid at the Bernabeu was highly impossible. This season however, a lot has changed. The Blancos have lost 7 games this season in all competitions – and 4 of them have been at home at the Bernabeu.
Leganes came to Madrid’s backyard and knocked them out of the Copa Del Rey. This is enough testament to claim that Madrid are rather vulnerable at home and Juventus have every reason to believe that they can do what Leganes did.
They might have to score at least three goals to have any chance but there is nothing to suggest that they can’t.
#2 No Ramos
Sergio Ramos is perhaps the most enigmatic defender in the world. He is always a red card waiting to happen and is often caught out of his position as he rushes forward to leave a hole in the back-line. When you consider these things, he becomes the most liable defender a big team could have.
But when he plays in the big games in the Champions League, he becomes an entirely different person. He becomes the leader that Madrid deserve and he always puts in near-flawless shifts in the back-line.
He is however set to miss the second leg of the clash as he got a yellow card in the 55th minute of the first leg.
As a result, Madrid will not only lose his astute leadership at the back, but also a world-class defender playing at his best in the most important matches of the season.
#1 Juventus still have quality players
They might have lost 0-3 in their own stadium, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t or don’t have quality players. The likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Gianluigi Buffon, Alex Sandro and so on are still world class players and have what it takes to help Juve overcome the deficit.
While Gonzalo Higuain might not be someone known to bury chances in big games, he will be playing at the Bernabeu – his home for six-and-a-half years – and will have an added motivation to score at a place where he won many games for Madrid.
That added to Sergio Ramos’ absence, makes it all the more reason to believe that Juventus can make a grand comeback.
