How Far Can Juventus Go in the Champions League in 2025 | OneFootball

Juventus is one of the biggest clubs in Italy. Domestically, it is the biggest. In Europe, it is a few steps behind Milan and Inter. Juve’s Champions League drought is one of the longest among the big European teams that have managed to win the trophy at least once. What’s even worse, Juventus is one of those teams that has managed to come back to the final more than a few times since they last took the trophy home in 1995/96.

If you’re superstitious, you can say that someone has cursed the Old Lady. Since their penalty shootout wins against Ajax, Juventus has reached the final five more times. Neither once did they manage to win it. Juve has lost matches against Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid twice. Milan and Barcelona. The search for glory continues, and the fans ask themselves, could this be their year?

The most straightforward answer would be to say no! To be honest, the Old Lady is years removed from their dominant teams of 2010. During that decade, the road to the final went through Turin. Those Juve teams had the likes of Chiellini, Buffon, Bonucci, Pirlo, Mandzukic, CR7, Evra, Dybala, Tevez, Pogba, and Barzagli. We’re sorry for not listing all the Juve legends who made the black and whites of Turin one of the top European teams in the 2010s.

During those years, the team reached the final twice but lost both finals to the Spanish powerhouses, Barcelona and Real Madrid. It was not only about the final matches. Juventus had some excellent elimination matches facing these two teams. After all, when it comes to Real Madrid, Juve has a good history with them. So far, Juve has won 9 matches in CL against Madrid, drew 2, and lost 10. Considering that RM has won 15 titles and Juve only 2, it is suitable for Real Madrid that they haven’t played Juve more often.

As far as Barcelona goes, the situation is similar. While Juve lost their only final, when it comes to other matches, they went head-to-head with Barca. So far, Juve has 3 wins, 4 draws, and 4 defeats. The fans of Juventus still remember when they won a quarter-final Champions League match in Turin 3:0 with goals from Chiellini and two from Dybala, only to draw 0:0 at Camp Nou at one of the most Juventus matches ever when their net was not in jeopardy even once.

While Juventus doesn’t have defined rivalries with Barcelona and Real Madrid, the fans of all clubs and neutrals know that they have a classic on their hands when Juve faces the Spanish giants. These rivalries are great to talk about, but they have little to do with the 2024/25 CL season, especially if you look at the latest La Liga results, where RM and Barca are dominating while Juve is struggling in Italy.

At the moment, Juventus is sitting at position No17. They are a safe bet to play the elimination round, while they were positioned to go directly as one of the top 8 teams further. However, a recent drop in form left them struggling mid-table. Dusan Vlahovic is under a lot of criticism when playing in black and white, but without him on the field in recent weeks, Juve has appeared weak upfront.

Their last league stage match is against Benfica. In the case of a win, and if other results go their way, Juve can go as one of the top 8 teams. If a draw or defeat is the result, they will have two additional matches to play. If the positions remain as they are after this round, Juve would be unlucky to have Real Madrid as their next opponent, as they’re currently sitting one next to the other. Benfica has plenty to play for, as their position in the next stage is unsafe. After their classic last week against Barcelona, many Sportsbet outlets see them as favorites against Juve.

Juventus, as always, will rely on its solid defense and look to threaten the Portuguese with counterattacks. Vlahovic, the team’s best scorer, is finally fit, and he will have to prove himself after Kolo Muani joined the Old Lady.

Regarding the team’s form, this match doesn’t come to Turin immediately. After failing to reach the final of the Italian Super Cup, Juve is struggling to regain form. They drew many matches this season, but now, they lost their first one and are in the hands of big rivals—Napoli. In the last five games, they have lost to Napoli, won against Milan, and drawn against Club Brugge, Torino, and Atalanta.

Thiago Motta is still trying to find his footing in Turin. Because of his inexperience and the fact that the team is not playing superbly, we don’t see this Juve team going too far in the CL this year. Even if they win against Benfica, they will likely have to play two matches against Real Madrid, Aston Villa, BVB, Lille, or Bayern. Accounting for their passage from the knockout round, their arrival will be awaited by the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool, and Arsenal, and those are not the teams that Juventus can beat across a two-leg fixture.