UEFA Champions League semis first leg:

Old Lady to face Real battle 

By Laolu Olugbenga

Juventus will look to pick up a first leg advantage when they face defending champions Real Madrid at the Juventus Stadium. The Turin outfit had to wait a while to get this far, but will no doubt be facing their toughest test this season. They will feel confident though as they beat Los Blancos 4 - 3 in the 1998 semi finals, but they were dominated when they met in the Group stage last season as Real won the group.

Masimilliano Allegri’s men also come into the game on the back of a 1-0 win at Sampdoria, a win that handed them their fourth straight Scudetto. Arturo Vidal netted the goal that led his side to victory. Real are on a roll themselves, winning their last seven La Liga games. Cristiano Ronaldo netted a hat trick in Real’s 3-2 win at Sevilla, bringing their opponents 38 game unbeaten run at the Sanchez Pizjuan to an end. He has scored 42 goals in La Liga and 53 in all competitions, and he also scored in both legs against Juve last season. The fit-again Gareth Bale should return to the starting eleven, while Karim Benzema faces a race against time to be fit. Luka Modric remains sidelined. It will also be a return to Turin for Carlo Ancelotti who used to coach Juve back in the days. Hopefully, he should the Old Lady’s manual to guide the Spanish outfit to victory.