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Juventus vs. Real Madrid: Champions League final combined XI

By Billy Kerr

TURIN, ITALY - MAY 09: (L-R) Gonzalo Higuain, Dani Alves and Paulo Dybala of Juventus celebrate victory following the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Juventus and AS Monaco at Juventus Stadium on May 9, 2017 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - MAY 09: (L-R) Gonzalo Higuain, Dani Alves and Paulo Dybala of Juventus celebrate victory following the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Juventus and AS Monaco at Juventus Stadium on May 9, 2017 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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Juventus and Real Madrid will play in the Champions League final on Saturday, June 3. Here’s the best combined XI from both teams.

Real Madrid take on Juventus in the Champions League final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday. With a win, Real, who clinched the La Liga title last week, will become the first team to win the trophy in back-to-back seasons since the rebranding of the competition 25 years ago. Juve, meanwhile, are hoping to secure the triple, having already won Serie A and the Coppa Italia. In the build up to the match, we’ve picked our combined XI from the two squads. Only fit players were considered for selection, and we’ve opted for a 4-3-3 formation to get the best out of the talent available.

GK: Gianluigi Buffon

No player will be looking forward to this game more than Gianluigi Buffon. The Juventus keeper is one of the greatest in history and has won almost everything there is to win, at both club and international level. Except the Champions League. He’s been excellent in this season’s competition, even at the age of 39, captaining the defense that went 11 hours without conceding until Monaco put one away in the semifinal. Real Madrid have a great keeper of their own in Costa Rican Keylor Navas, but Buffon gets the nod for his experience.

CB: Leonardo Bonucci, Sergio Ramos

There will be a lot of excellent center-backs on the pitch in the final. Real Madrid will likely be fielding Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, who’s been covering for the injured Pepe. Juve will likely play Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, and Giorgio Chiellini in front of Buffon. Ramos, Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini are all great defenders, and Varane is one of the most promising young center-backs in the world, so this wasn’t an easy choice. Bonucci is just about the most impressive of Juve’s three options, and one of the best in the world, so he has to be in the XI. Ramos gets the nod over Chiellini and Barzagli. The Italians may be better as pure defenders, but the Spaniard’s offensive prowess in big moments, including past Champions League finals, can’t be ignored.

FB: Dani Alves, Marcelo

Both teams have great, fun-to-watch full-backs. The battles between Marcelo and Dani Alves and Dani Carvajal and Alex Sandro could be the most entertaining of the final. They’re as important in defense as they are to both teams’ attacks. Alves provided a superb goal and a couple of assists in Juve’s win against Monaco in the semifinals and Marcelo is a frequent thorn in opposition sides, as he showed most impressively against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. Alves and his Brazilian compatriot Marcelo could be key players in helping their teams win the final on Saturday.

MF: Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro

Both teams boast several midfielders that could turn the tide of any game. Real’s Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro and Juve’s Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira all have quality and have been important pieces in their sides successes this season. But the Madrid players have the edge here. Modric is one of the best players, let alone midfielders, in the world, his range of passing and all around creative influence almost unmatched for a player in his position. Kroos is less eye-catching, but ability to dictate the tempo of a match makes him indispensable. Finally, Casemiro’s defensive ability frees up the two men in front of him to exert control over the game with the ball at their feet. There are few more balanced and talented midfield trios in the world than Real Madrid’s, and we’re not going to break them up here.

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FWs: Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain

Real have one of the top two talents in the world with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 25 goals in La Liga and added another 10 in the Champions League this season. Ronaldo can unlock any defense in the world and Juve will have to contain him if they are to have any hope of winning. Juve counters with one of the best young players in the world, Paulo Dybala. Dybala was the second leading scorer for Juve in both the Champions League (four goals) and Serie A (11). Joining Ronaldo and Dybala in attack is former Real forward Gonzalo Higuain. Higuain led Juve in goals in both the Champions League (five) and La Liga (24). He’s a lethal finisher, and one of the best pure number 9s in the game today.

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