The great wait is over. Juventus is back on the hunt for that Champions League that has never really been a friend, yet so much desired. The dream starts again tonight (20.45 pm) against Borussia Dortmund, in the first leg of the round of XNUMX. Needless to dwell too much on the importance of this match, a whole page would not be enough. The Lady's attitude is more important than modules or tactics: will she finally be able to shake off European fears or will we see the Mr Heyde version again? Performance anxiety is spreading throughout the Juve world and for this very reason Allegri has chosen the path of serenity.
“It is absolutely not the match of the season, it is an eighth not a final – the words of the coach. – Races like this are played over 180', it will take patience, mind and balance”. All that is usually seen in the league, where in fact the bianconeri have been the undisputed masters for three abundant years, and which has however always been lacking in the international arena. But this could really be the right time, provided you don't underestimate your opponent and play with your mind free from anxieties and fears. “We want the Champions League dream to last as long as possible – confirmed Buffon. – Borussia is a difficult team to face, when the stakes rise they always manage to play with authority and give their best. On our part there is great respect but also curiosity to see where we are”.
In short, no proclamations, just a great desire to do well. In fact, the qualification will not be decided tonight but it is clear that a large part of it will come from a good result at the Stadium (sold out for weeks), also in light of Dortmund's characteristics. Klopp's team is strange, full of excellent individuals (above all Reus) but also of limitations that have sensationally complicated the season.
In the last victories in the Bundesliga (three consecutive victories against Freiburg, Mainz and Stuttgart) we have seen a bit of the whole sample: 10 goals scored and 5 conceded, demonstrating that talent and ingenuity are equivalent to almost 50%. “Juve have a lot of experience and seasoned players, but we are in the best possible conditions – explained Klopp in no uncertain terms. – Anything can happen in the round of XNUMX of the Champions League, we will try to pass the round through our technique and speed”.
Allegri's pragmatism against the German coach's exuberance: Juventus – Borussia Dortmund can also be read like this. The last word, however, as always, will be up to the field. Which will see the bianconeri with that 4-3-1-2 sewn especially for the European nights: Buffon in goal, Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini and Evra in defense, Pirlo, Marchisio and Pogba in midfield, Vidal in the trocar, Tevez and Morata in attack.
Borussia will respond with the usual 4-2-3-1 with Weidenfeller between the posts, Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels and Schmelzer in the defensive line, Gundogan and Sahin in the midfield, Kampl, Mkhitaryan and Reus close to the lone striker Aubameyang (only bench for Building). Tonight's match will be Juve and Dortmund's fourth match in Turin: in three o'clock the balance is perfectly equal, with a black and white victory (3-0 in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup final), a draw (again in the UEFA Cup, 2-2 in 1994/95) and a yellow and black success (1-2 in the group stage of the 1995/96 Champions League).
The precedent that hurts the most, however, is that of May 28, 1997, moreover the last of the two: in the final in Munich, the Germans took the big-eared cup with a sensational 3-1. That was not Juve's first European disappointment and, sadly, not even the last. That's why, never like now, the time has come to take revenge.
