Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini feels the game against Barcelona was the turning point in the Bianconeri’s incredible 2016-17 season, but warns that Real Madrid are a dangerous team and his side will face a stiff test in the UEFA Champions League final in Cardiff on Saturday. 

“If I had to pick out a match on our Champions League run, I’d choose the Barcelona tie,” Chiellini said at a press conference.  

“It’s very rare to keep two clean sheets against players that good,” he added.

Chiellini, who scored a goal in that quarterfinals (which Juventus won 3-0 on aggregate), feels that Barca’s arch-rivals have plenty of match-winners in their squad, which is what makes them so unpredictable and dangerous. 

“They’re even more dangerous because just when you think you’ve got the game by the scruff of the neck, they strike.

“We know all about them but obviously starting today we’ll study them with a fine-tooth comb. For instance, we have to figure out how their shape changes depending on whether Isco or Gareth Bale play. I think they’re equally good players but they’re different,” Chiellini said.

“We’ll use our experience from Berlin two years ago in the build-up to this final,” the defender said.

While Real are chasing their third title in four years, Juventus are in their second final in three years and Chiellini feels that counts for something as well.

“This is our second final in three years and that definitely means something. We’ll stay calm this week. We were too tense at the start of the 2015 final and we conceded in the first half. Even when we got back into the match they responded because we were too exposed defensively. We don’t want to make the same mistakes twice though I tend to take the positives from past experiences, even unhappy ones,” Chiellini said.

Barcelona had defeated the Bianconeri in the 2015 final and Chiellini feels that the side have learnt their lessons from that defeat and are well-equipped to end the club’s continental trophy drought. 

“We’ll use our experience from Berlin two years ago in the build-up to this final,” said the 32-year-old centre-back. 

“Last year we went out with our heads held high in the 90th minute and we’re once again preparing for a final. I believe that’s where the club should consistently be – in the quarter-finals every year at least,” Chiellini added.