5 Key Champions League Final Round Matchups
Published: 8th March 2025
– Updated: 8th March 2025
Who will reach the Champions League knockout stage? Which clubs need a win to qualify for the next round? Today Paolo Bandini shares his thoughts on 5 key matches heading into this last round of the Champions League group stage.
Juventus v Atlético Madrid
If Arturo Vidal had just converted his 94th minute penalty against Olympiacos in Turin, then Juventus would already be through to the last-16. Instead, his shot was saved and the Bianconeri – despite winning the game 3-2 – missed their opportunity to claim control of the tie-breaker over the Greek champions.
The result is that Juve now go into their final group game facing a conundrum. Three points clear of Olympiacos, they know a draw will be enough to seal second place. But a two-goal victory over group leaders Atlético would guarantee the Italians first place, improving their chances of getting a favourable draw in the next round.
How to approach such a delicate fixture? Gigi Buffon offered his thoughts in the wake of Juventus's 0-0 draw away to Fiorentina on Friday night:
"You start out trying to win the game, seeking the maximum," he said. "There is no sense in trying to manage the entire 90 minutes with the idea of getting a draw. But as time passes, of course, you begin to reflect on the situation and act accordingly."
Juventus rested several starters against Fiorentina, including Carlos Tevez and Claudio Marchisio, while Stephan Lichtsteiner sat the game out through suspension, but all will return to the line-up against Atlético. After using a three-man defence on Friday, Massimiliano Allegri is also expected to revert to the 4-3-1-2 that he deployed for the first time in the win over Olympiacos. The manager's biggest dilemma will be whether to start Fernando Llorente or Alvaro Morata up front.
However Juventus line up, however, they will not have it easy against an Atlético team that continues to keep pace with Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga, despite losing Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois over the summer. After beating Elche 2-0 on Saturday, they have won 10 of their last 11 matches across all competitions.
"We changed the way we play over the last few
