Home of football statistics and historyOne of the standout fixtures of the UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 takes place at the revamped Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid and Juventus go head-to-head in a blockbuster clash.
Los Merengues head into proceedings on the back of a narrow 1-0 victory at nine-man Getafe in La Liga, with Kylian Mbappe finding a late winner to stretch his side’s winning streak to three games in all competitions.
That run started with a 5-0 rout of Champions League debutants Kairat Almaty in the previous round, serving to banish the memory of a 2-1 derby loss to arch-rivals Atletico Madrid.
Unlike their hosts, Juventus stuttered again at the weekend, slumping to a 2-0 defeat at Como, with former Madrid starlet Nico Paz sealing the Turin giants’ fate at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium.
According to Italian publication Tuttosport, head coach Igor Tudor has come under heavy scrutiny amid a string of disappointing results and a frosty relationship with sporting director Damien Comolli.
As speculation intensifies, discussions around the Juventus managerial situation have coincided with a sharp rise in activity across new online betting sites, where odds on Tudor’s replacement, or retention, have become a hot topic among punters. The unpredictability of Juventus’ next move has fuelled betting markets across Europe, reflecting just how uncertain the current situation is.
With that in mind, the Bianconeri can ill-afford another slip-up in the Spanish capital, even though they must defy history to maintain their unbeaten start to the new Champions League season.
However, it’s worth noting that Juventus drew their opening two matches against Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal, coming from behind to avoid defeat on both occasions.
History firmly on Madrid’s side
Madrid’s nerve-wracking 1-0 win in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals in July marked their 12th victory in 22 competitive meetings with Juventus (D2, L8).
A rivalry that stretches back to the early 1960s has seen the record-time European champions dominate the Allianz outfit in high-stakes fixtures such as this one.
Los Merengues won the Champions League final in 2017 to kick off a handsome run of three wins from their last four competitive matches against Juventus.
Despite their impressive all-time record in this match-up, the Spaniards would be naive to take anything for granted, especially after losing their last home clash against the Bianconeri.
A 3-1 triumph on their last visit to the Bernabeu in 2018 may be the only source of encouragement for Juventus, who are enduring a rough time at the start of the new campaign.
Out-of-sorts Bianconeri
Juventus’ slump at Como on Sunday afternoon extended their winless streak in all competitions to six consecutive games, with five of them ending level.
That inability to convert draws into victories proved Thiago Motta’s undoing last season, costing the ex-Bologna manager his job in Turin.
Now, Tudor faces the same risk as the record-time Serie A champions seek their first away win in the Champions League since beating RB Leipzig last October.
They have since gone five consecutive European travels without winning (D4, L1), highlighting the size of the task ahead.
Adding to Tudor’s growing list of concerns, his men have won just once on the road this season (D3, L1), conceding before half-time in each of their last three such contests.
High-flying Madrid
Mbappe’s goal at the Coliseum maintained a feel-good factor around the Madrid camp and, more importantly, put the French superstar on the brink of a historic feat.
According to 433, the 26-year-old could match Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring in 12 consecutive matches with a goal here.
Meanwhile, after seeing off Marseille and Kairat in the opening three rounds, Los Merengues are on the verge of starting the Champions League season with three successive wins for the third time in the last four editions.
Highly-rated boss Xabi Alonso has plenty of reason for optimism, particularly considering Los Blancos face Juventus at home, where they boast a perfect five-game record this term (W5).
However, with three of those five victories coming by a single-goal margin, Madrid should be wary of another tense affair against a side desperate to get back on track.
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