CRISTIANO Ronaldo was brought to Juventus with one goal — to win the Champions League and all eyes are on the Portuguese great to ensure last season’s heartbreak does not repeat itself.
Despite winning a ninth-straight Serie A title for Juventus last season, coach Maurizio Sarri was sacked due to another failure in Europe for the Italian side.
Italy’s most decorated domestic team — Juve have won 36 Scudettos compared to AC Milan and Inter Milan’s 18 each — have underperformed on the continent. Milan have seven European Cups, Inter three, while Juventus have won two.
The club are desperate to win a first Champions League title in a quarter of a century, especially given they have the unwanted stat of being the team with the most European Cup final defeats — seven.
The writing was on the wall for Sarri last season after Juventus were surprisingly knocked out by Olympique Lyonnais at the last-16 stage. Current coach Andrea Pirlo is in a similar predicament this time around.
Last season, Juventus lost the first leg 1-0 away from home, before eventually going out on away goals after a 2-1 win in Turin. — Reuters