4 KEY BATTLES TO EXPECT IN THE JUVENTUS VS REAL MADRID CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2017 FINAL

Juventus take on Real Madrid in 2017's Champions League final at the Principality stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

Max Allegri will be hoping to guide his side to their first Champions League win since 1996. While Zinedine Zidane is vying to be the first manager to win back-to-back major European titles.

Both clubs won their respective leagues this season, but Juve went a stage further and clinched the Coppa Italia too.

The tie is expected to be a tightly contested affair which could come down to just four key battles.

Max Allegri vs Zinedine Zidane

With very little separating either side, the final could come down to who deploys the best tactics.

Allegri is the more established manager, but Zidane has already proven his worth winning the Champions League and La Liga in his first season and a half.

It could even come down to their penalty shootout player picks.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Juve's defence

The Real Madrid striker scored hat-tricks in both the quarter and semi-final stages of the competition - he'll be going for a hat-trick of hat-tricks.

But he'll find it tough against arguably the best defence in Europe. Juventus have only conceded three goals in the Champions League this season.

I guess we'll find out what happens when a rock meets a hard place.

Dani Alves vs Marcelo

The most eagerly anticipated battle of the tie. The Brazilian duo will produce fireworks up and down the right flank in a bid to better each other.

Gonzalo Higuain vs Sergio Ramos

Since leaving Real Madrid in 2013, Higuain has gone on to be one of the best strikers in the world. Juventus snapped up the 29-year-old from rivals Napoli in the summer, and the striker has scored 32 goals in 54 games this season.

But he'll face stern competition on Saturday night against former teammate Sergio Ramos. Aside from being one of the best defenders in the world, the Spaniard knows the Argentine's movements all too well.