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Real Madrid aim to continue Champions League defense against Italian Champions, Juve

Xinhua, May 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Real Madrid travel to Turin on Monday to prepare to attempt another step towards the defense of the Champions League title they won last season.

No side has successfully defended the Champions League and Real Madrid have a difficult task ahead of them if they want to make history: after knocking out reigning Spanish BBVA Primera Liga holders and city rivals, Atletico Madrid in the last round they now have to face newly crowned Italian champions Juventus on Tuesday.

Juventus will be in good spirits after confirming their title at the weekend and have Spanish strikers, Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Morata ready to cause Real Madrid problems.

Morata joined Juventus from Real Madrid last summer after struggling to win a regular first team place under Carlo Ancelotti and the Spain international has made it clear he won' t be feeling sentimental against his former club, while the Italians will no doubt remember their semi-final triumph over Madrid in 2003; a result which probably cost Vicente del Bosque his job as Real Madrid coach.

However, if Juventus have their moral sky high, Real Madrid also have reasons for confidence after a thrilling 3-2 win in Sevilla on Saturday which ended Sevilla' s 34-game home record.

Ancelotti has virtually all of his squad available apart from Luka Modric, while Karim Benzema puts the finishing touches to his recovery from a knee injury.

Gareth Bale is likely to return to the starting 11 in Turin, while Sergio Ramos could well repeat the midfield holding role which he adopted against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals and on Saturday in Seville.

There will be few surprises in the Madrid side with Marcelo on the left and Dani Carvajal on the right of defense, Pepe and Rafael Varene in central defense, Ramos, Tony Kroos and James Rodriguez in the middle and Bale, Ronaldo and Javier Hernandez leading the attack.

Juventus may well sit back and look to play on the break, so the emphasis is on Real Madrid to do the attacking, to look for an away goal and to leave the game open for the return leg in the Bernabeu. Endi