Juventus vs Real Madrid: Who has the better XI for the Champions League final?

Attack

Gonzalo Higuain or Cristiano Ronaldo – who will come out on top?

Although both teams will play different formations, the attack boils down to the roles of two players – Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo. The right side is compensated by the ever-dependable Dani Alves when Juventus have possession. Dybala will be expected to play behind Gonzalo Higuain who will surely lead the line as will Mario Mandzukic (although he will be out on the left).

Dybala has shown that he is capable of the spectacular (as Barcelona found out) and all he needs is a little space and time to do some serious damage. Ronaldo, on the other hand, no longer plays as a winger and is usually seen in and around the box alongside Karim Benzema. While Benzema will be expected to play the role of the traditional no.9 (just like Higuain), Ronaldo’s free role allows him to get into good goalscoring positions.

His movement will be key to keeping Juve’s BBC defence on their toes although Khedira could track him near the final third and prevent him from adding to his tally of 10 goals in the competition this season.

Ultimately, Mandzukic may be the player who finds himself relatively free to exploit Real’s weak spot that is Danilo.

Conclusion: Juventus have the narrow advantage