AS Monaco and Juventus are at the centre of attraction in the UEFA Champions League once again, both sides face off in a clash that promises to be very enticing for the neutrals.

Massimiliano Allegri's side boasts the best defence in the Champions League this season.  Leonardo Jardim and his youthful Monaco side, however, have proven their mettle at the other end of the pitch.

The principality side has been scoring for fun so far in Europe's elite competition, but a matchup against Juventus will certainly be their litmus test.

Monaco's toughest test of the campaign

Jardim's young Monaco side have been the bright spark of the Champions league this season. A perfect mix of experience and youth has led this team to the top of Ligue 1 and now they aim to reach the final of the Champions league, 13 years after they last did so.

Monaco made it through the group stages through some difficulty, however, they have taken their game to another level since then. Their comeback against Manchester City was a perfect example of how dangerous they are if not dealt with and the Citizens were punished.

Borussia Dortmund were up next and the Ligue 1 leaders were in no mood to mess about, completely dominating the German side over both legs and progressing to the semi-final, where they will now face the toughest nut to crack this season in the Champions League, in Juventus.

Allegri's men have been excellent so far in their pursuit of the elusive Champions League trophy. They are still yet to be beaten so far in their road to the semi-finals, having kept eight clean sheets in the process, a number that will certainly have Jardim scratching his head over how his team can get past the Bianconeri.

Another statistic to consider that, Juventus have never conceded more than three goals over 90 minutes. Genoa are the only team who can lay claim to having put three past Gianluigi Buffon in the Juventus goal.

All this points to the fact that this is definitely going to be Monaco's toughest game in the Champions League yet.

Juventus will look to finish the game in the first leg

Juventus will go into this game full of confidence, hoping to make it to their second Champions League final in three years.

The Bianconeri's road up until now has been difficult but they have excelled against every team that's come up against them at every stage in the campaign so far.

By far, their most impressive display was against Luis Enrique's Barcelona when they overcame the Catalans 3-0 over two legs to get their revenge and also make it to the semi-finals in the process.

Now their next test is a youthful Monaco side that refuses to back down in any game, Allegri's men will have to be at their best to mastermind a victory against Jardim's charges.

Having been unbeaten so far in the competition, the men from Turin will be confident of getting a result against a side that they knocked out in the 2014-15 campaign, at the quarter-finals stage.

Team News

For Monaco, the return of Benjamin Mendy from injury will be positive and he is likely to start the game against Juventus. Dijbril Sidibe will be missing out and Almamy Traore looks to be missing out as well, which means Nabil Dirar might keep his place in defence. The return of the Brazilian Fabinho will be another good news for Jardim.

For Juventus, Sami Khedira will be suspended for the tie, which means club veteran Claudio Marchisio will start the tie against Monaco. In defence, Daniele Rugani's recent injury against Atlanta has certainly decreased Allegri's options.

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About the author
Ninad Barbadikar
Editor for the Brighton and Hove Albion Office. Contributor to VAVEL UK since July 2016.