Champions League: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Juventus

Tune in for live updates from the Champions last 16 League clash between Atletico Madrid and Juventus as Cristiano Ronaldo returns to face old foes.

Updated : Feb 21, 2019 03:29 IST

Cristiano Ronaldo warms up next to Paulo Dybala ahead of the Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
Cristiano Ronaldo warms up next to Paulo Dybala ahead of the Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
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Cristiano Ronaldo warms up next to Paulo Dybala ahead of the Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Juventus.

Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live updates from the UEFA Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Juventus being played at the Wanda Metropolitano.

 

 


Here are the starting line-ups

 

Meanwhile, here is what's happening in the other match - Schalke vs Manchester City

 

Preview - Liverpool vs Bayern Munich: Lot at stake as titans clash

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri says that having Cristiano Ronaldo in his side “is an advantage” ahead of the Portuguese star's return to Madrid for Wednesday's Champions League last 16, first-leg clash against Atletico.

Ronaldo won four Champions League titles in five years at Real Madrid before joining Juve in a 100-million-euro ($117 million) deal last year, and will be hoping to be back at the Wanda Metropolitano for the final on June 1.

Juventus is still bidding for its first European crown since 1996 after final defeats in 2003, 2015 and 2017, and in the last 16 faces an Atletico outfit which lost to Real in the 2014 and 2016 finals.

“Having (Ronaldo) is an advantage but he alone is not enough, the whole team need to put in a strong performance,” said Allegri on Tuesday.

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“The team is growing physically, psychologically and technically and we have to keep going as we enter the most important stage of the season.

“We have to be focused tomorrow, knowing that we face a compact team that makes the most of set-pieces, and that in recent years have achieved a lot of good results in Europe.”

The 34-year-old Ronaldo has a fine record against Atletico, having scored 22 goals in 31 matches against the capital club, including a hat-trick in the 2016-2017 Champions League semi-finals.

“Cristiano is very motivated in this competition he has proved it,” Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic said of the Champions League's all-time record goalscorer.

ALSO READ: Atletico Madrid vs Juventus: 22 goals, three hat-tricks - Ronaldo's remarkable record against Atleti

“He has always been present and decisive. He is part of our team and he will want to win.”

Ronaldo has already scored 21 goals for the Turin giant this season, while fellow forward Paulo Dybala netted five times in the Champions League group stage, and Allegri wants his team to go on the attack in the Spanish capital.

“I wouldn't take a draw now. I said to the lads that it's important to score goals tomorrow,” he said.

Simeone 'up for it'

Juventus remains unbeaten in Serie A and is already 13 points clear of second-placed Napoli in its bid for an eighth straight Italian title, while Atletico sits second in La Liga, seven points adrift of leader Barcelona.

“I'm really up for this. Here, in the Champions League, such a great competition against such a big team like Juventus, it's these kind of games that help us to grow,” said Atletico coach Diego Simeone, who signed a contract extension with the club last week.

“At the moment no one has an advantage, we will start at 50-50.”

Allegri also confirmed that Juve midfielder Sami Khedira will miss the first leg to have medical tests after the detection of an irregular heartbeat.

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