The Champions League returns on Tuesday as we get into the quarter-finals, with Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Sevilla all aiming for first-leg advantages.
In Turin, Juventus will be eager for vengeance after they lost to Madrid 4-1 in last season's final in Cardiff.
They will need to be particularly alert against the in-form Cristiano Ronaldo, who not only has 23 goals in his last 13 games for club and country, but he also has a habit of scoring against the Italian giants.
The day's other clash will see Sevilla - newcomers at this stage of the competition - host Champions League stalwarts Bayern Munich, whose coach Jupp Heynckes heads to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on a historic winning streak.
Below, we examine the best Opta data looking ahead to the two contests.
Juventus v Real Madrid
20 - Tuesday's clash in Turin will be the 20th instance of these two sides facing each other in the European Cup/Champions League. Only Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have played against each other more often (24).
7 - Juve have reached the Champions League semi-finals seven times before this season. Only Bayern (10), Barcelona (11) and Tuesday's visitors Madrid (12) have a better record.
5 - Ronaldo has played five Champions League games against Juventus and scored seven times. No one has scored more against the Italian champions in this competition than the Ballon d'Or holder.
19 - Former Madrid star Gonzalo Higuain will be eager to get one over on his old club. If he does score, the omens will be good, as he has never lost a Champions League game in which he has scored (19).
27 - Juve are unbeaten in 27 European matches at home, a run stretching back to April 2013.
Sevilla v Bayern
17 - This is Bayern's 17th appearance in the last eight, a Champions League record.
12 - German and Spanish sides have met each other 12 times in the Champions League since the start of last season. Bayern have recorded the only win for Bundesliga clubs in that time, while LaLiga teams have triumphed eight times.
10 - Sevilla's Wissam Ben Yedder has 10 Champions League goals from just 12 appearances. Only Adriano of Inter (11 appearances) reached that figure quicker than the Frenchman.
36.4 - And of the 43 players to have attempted at least 15 shots in the competition this season, Ben Yedder has the best conversion rate at 36.4 per cent.
11 - Heynckes is currently on an 11-match winning streak in the Champions League, the longest anyone has ever enjoyed.
Comments
SHARE