Juventus v Atletico Madrid: Hope in Cristiano Ronaldo but Massimiliano Allegri could be on his way out

RONALDO GIVES JUVENTUS HOPE

Atletico may have kept him from scoring in the first leg, but they are aware of what old foe Cristiano Ronaldo is capable of. The former Real Madrid forward played in 31 Madrid derbies, and scored 22 goals. That includes a hat-trick in a 3-0 home win – exactly the result Juventus need on Tuesday.

Diego Simeone knows that no matter how well he organises his defence, an in-form Ronaldo can be impossible to contain. The 34-year-old has thrived against the all-star defence of Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez before, so there’s no reason he can’t do it again.

Ronaldo has won everything and will go down as one of the game’s best-ever players, but his motivation for this game will be interesting to watch, as well. He arrived at Juventus with one goal in mind for both club and player: get the team over the hump in the Champions League. For his first season in Turin to end with a round of 16 exit would be almost comical.

The Portugal icon always seems to play with a chip on his shoulder, spurred on by doubters and critics real and imagined. But those critics will be very real if Juventus are knocked out on Tuesday. Atletico beware.

THIS IS ALLEGRI’S BIGGEST TEST

There’s pressure on Ronaldo to deliver on Tuesday, but there’s also pressure on the club. Signing a player who had led his previous team to three straight Champions League titles, with more or less the explicit purpose of doing the same for his new team, and then failing to do so?

Juventus may be on course for an eighth straight Serie A title, but while that level of dominance at home is impressive, it also starts losing its sheen the more the club fails in Europe. Adding a serial winner and then losing at the first hurdle in European competition would be disastrous.

It could also cost Massimiliano Allegri his job. The Italian has shown his ability in spades before, from his tactics in marquee wins, to his motivational skills in spurring an aging side to continue its mastery over its domestic rivals, but everything he’s achieved at Juventus may not be able to save him now.

An early exit may just add to the impression that Allegri is simply not the man to mastermind a European triumph, no matter his other qualifications. And with Ronado at 34, the window to win the Champions League is short and closing fast. Juve may decide that they need someone else in charge to take that final step.

COULD THIS BE ATLETICO’S YEAR?

Allegri has lost in the final of this competition twice with Juventus, but on both occasions they were outplayed in the final. That can’t be said of Atletico, who made the final in 2014 and 2016 only to lose to Madrid on both occasions, firstly thanks to a 94th-minute equaliser and an extra time surge, and then, in 2016, on penalties.

That sense of missed opportunities must surely be motivating Simeone and his players. Though nobody discounts their chances of winning this competition, the favourites are still teams like Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich – teams with more glamour attached to their names and more attacking philosophy in their game.

Holding a 2-0 lead going into Tuesday’s game, Atletico know what a chance this is to make a statement. Knock out Juventus, one of Europe’s grand old clubs, and they will have put down a marker.

One of Liverpool or Bayern will not be in the quarter-finals as the two sides play each other in the round of 16, while Barcelona’s progression, though likely, is not guaranteed – and the same could be said of City. Could this finally be the Rojiblancos’ year?