The lineups are out for the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus, and there are plenty of talking points on both sides.
Champions League final lineups: Team news for Real Madrid vs. Juventus
Isco starts over Gareth Bale, while Juventus might have switched to a back three.
Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
Los Merengues have the bigger one — Gareth Bale won’t start. Bale’s last appearance arguably came too soon after an injury, causing him to aggravate it. He was passed fit to play in his hometown, but Zinedine Zidane doesn’t want to take any chances. He’s selected the more certainly match fit Isco in Bale’s place.
The Juventus lineup is interesting because it could play in multiple formations. Veteran defender Andrea Barzagli surprisingly gets the nod ahead of an extra midfielder, meaning the Bianconeri are likely to line up with a three-man defense. But Giorgio Chiellini, Alex Sandro and Dani Alves are all very versatile, so Max Allegri could switch his formation at any time.
Here are the starting lineups.
Real Madrid starting lineup (4-3-3): Keylor Navas; Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Raphaël Varane, Dani Carvajal; Casemiro, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos; Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Isco
Juventus starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Gianluigi Buffon; Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli; Alex Sandro, Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Dani Alves; Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandžukić; Gonzalo Higuain
The match kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET from Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. If you’re in the United States, you can watch the game on FOX.
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