Madrid coach, Zinedine Zinedane will be hoping that it is not 1998 again.
He played the entire 90 minutes for Juventus in that game and will be hoping to be on the winning side this time around.
It was 1998. May 20. Real Madrid had gone 32 years since their last Champions League triumph and Juventus stood between them and a seventh European title.
Predrag Mijatović scored the only goal at the Amsterdam Arena, Netherlands to hand Madrid victory, in a match refereed by German, Hellmut Krug.
On Saturday at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, another German referee, the respected Felix Brych will be at the center as Real Madrid battle a familiar foe for an unprecedented 12th Champions League title.
And this year’s final is very likely to be decided by the lone goal if the Le Merengues are hopeful of victory.
Juventus have been nearly impregnable in this season’s Champions League, conceding just two goals in twelve matches enroute the finals. The Old Lady are also yet to lose a single game. In contrast, Real Madrid shipped in seventeen goals. The Madrid side have however made up with an incredible scoring form, netting thirty-two goals against opponents.
The water-tight Juve defence against the free-scoring Real side promises a fascinating encounter.
A preview by UEFA notes that the final in Cardiff will be a 19th meeting for Juventus and Real Madrid – all in the European Cup – and with eight wins apiece, there is nothing to separate the two teams.
Juventus enter the final chasing their first treble of domestic league, domestic cup, and Champions League titles but most importantly, looking to avoid another defeat to a Spanish opposition in just 2 years having lost 1 - 3 to Barcelona in the 2015 final.
Madrid coach, Zinedine Zinedane will however, be hoping that it is not 1998 again. He played the entire 90 minutes for Juventus in that game and will be hoping to be on the winning side this time around.
Having joined the exclusive ranks of only seven men to have won the Champions League (European Cup) as both player and manager with Madrid’s 11th triumph last year, Zinedane will be hoping to be the first manager ever to win the trophy back to back.
