UEFA Champions League 2016/17: 5 reasons why Juventus will win the Champions League

Juventus Champions League 2016-17
Juventus beat Monaco 2-0 away in the first leg of the semi-final

#1 An impregnable defence

MONACO - MAY 03:  Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus and Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus celebrate during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between AS Monaco v Juventus at Stade Louis II on May 3, 2017 in Monaco, Monaco.  (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Rocks at the back: Bonucci and Chiellini

Juventus have the meanest defence of the four semi-finalists in the competition. The Bianconeri have kept played 11 games in the UCL this season and kept clean sheets in 9 of those, with only Lyon and Sevilla managing to breach the fortress once each.

Since November 2016, the Italians have kept six straight clean sheets conceding goals at a miserly rate of 0.18 per game (compared to 0.73 for Atletico, 1.36 for Real Madrid and 1.64 for AS Monaco).

It is imperative to note the quality of opposition this immaculate record has come against, most notably FC Barcelona, whose famed MSN trio failed to register a single goal over two legs in the quarter-final. Dinamo Zagreb and Porto were the other teams who could not find a way around the Juve defence.

The Old Lady also neutralised AS Monaco in their first leg at the Stade Louis II, with the Frenchmen coming up short in front of goal. To put this in perspective, Bayer Leverkusen were the only side to manage a clean sheet against Leonardo Jardim’s charges in the 2016/17 Champions League season.

Irrespective of who the Bianconeri come up against, they have a solid, dependable backline that can put paid to opposition’s chances of scoring and their campaign so far has ably demonstrated that.

Also read: 5 world class players Juventus signed on free transfers in recent years

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Edited by Staff Editor