Juventus play host to current holders Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night, with the newly-crowned Serie A winners hoping to reach their first major European final since 2003.

The Bianconeri haven't lifted the trophy since 1996 having lost their most recent final to Italian rivals AC Milan, but they have their work cut out against a Madrid side looking to become the first to win consecutive UEFA Champions League titles.

Juve's young midfield star Paul Pogba has missed the last two weeks with a thigh problem and will not return for this first leg, while Uruguay defender Martin Cáceres will miss out due to an ankle injury.

Italy internationals Andrea Pirlo and Giorgio Chiellini are likely to play having sat out the 1-0 win over Sampdoria which clinched a fourth successive Scudetto.

Gareth Bale made his comeback from injury during Madrid's recent 3-2 win over Sevilla and could be in line to feature having scored the winner in last year's final against Madrid neighbours Atlético Madrid.

Luka Modrić is out with a long-term knee injury with Karim Benzema also not making the trip to Turin, but Brazil left-back Marcelo returns from suspension.

As well as being Juventus' last final, 2003 was also the last time these two sides met in the Champions League semi-finals. A late goal from Czech legend Pavel Nedvěd was enough to secure the Old Lady's passage to the final on that occasion as the Italians came from behind to win 4-3 on aggregate.

The two also met in the final of the competition in 1998, Madrid upsetting the odds to win a famous final and claim their first title for 32 years. Predrag Mijatović, the man voted Yugoslavia's greatest ever athlete, scored the only goal of the game before later going on to become the club's Director of Football.

The Italians have won four of their last six games in all competitions, a period which includes their second leg draw with Monaco which clinched their spot in the semi-finals. Though a Turin derby defeat to Torino was unexpected, Juve's recent form should not be underestimated despite the loss of the influential Pogba.

Los Merengues' form book is slightly more impressive, however, with five wins from their previous six. They have also scored three or more goals in four of their last five, with Cristiano Ronaldo returning to form with a hat-trick in the recent victory over Sevilla.

Juventus' iconic midfielder Andrea Pirlo has described Tuesday's opponents as "the most important club in the world", but believes that the first leg in front of the Juve fans could prove decisive.

The 35-year-old said: "Real are the most important club in the world. They have a lot of experience in this type of game and have a team of champions."

"We have the same chances as they do to progress," Pirlo said on the club's official website. "We weren't ready for the Champions League in previous years. But this team has gained experience and we know we can do well and play without fear. Now that we are here, we want to go all the way. To win it would be a dream come true, for me and for my team-mates.

"The first leg is crucial and we'll need to play with intelligence as we have done in recent years," he added. "We'll be mindful but also show some swagger, because we have a dream to fulfil and nothing to lose, but also aware that there's a second leg to follow."

Meanwhile, excerpts from Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti's autobiography have resurfaced after the Italian revealed that his time as Juventus manager was one of the unhappiest times of his managerial career.

"I never liked Turin," he states. "It was too glamorous, a couple of galaxies away from my lifestyle. Juventus are a team that I never loved and probably never will.

"It was a new ecosystem for me and I never felt comfortable. I was just a cog in a machine. [Former Juve chairman] Umberto Agnelli used to make the important decisions, although the person I liked best was his son Andrea [the current Juventus president]", the coach said in his autobiography 'My Christmas Tree'.

Kickoff is set for 19:45BST on Tuesday the 5th of May. We'll have all the pre-match build-up, live minute-by-minute coverage and post-match analysis here on VAVEL throughout the evening.

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About the author
Sam France
Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Features Editor at VAVEL UK, part of the VAVEL team 2014-2018.