Juventus and Real Madrid - two of club football's heavyweight teams - have appeared in 20 European Cup finals between them.
That tally will go up to 21 this season as they meet in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg being played in Turin on Tuesday evening.
Juventus
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For a club the size of Juventus, it's somewhat surprising that they have not reached the last four of European football's premier club competition since they were defeated on penalties in the 2003 final by fellow Italian outfit AC Milan.
By chance, Juve's opponents in that season's semi-finals were Madrid, with the Old Lady coming out on top 4-3 on aggregate. No doubt head coach Massimiliano Allegri will be hoping that it acts as a positive omen for his side this time around.
Talking of Allegri, he is currently basking in the glory of having secured the Serie A title at the weekend - the club's fourth in a row and 31st in its history.
Unlike previous recent campaigns, Allegri's men have been able to take their positive domestic form into Europe this season, particularly defensively.
In Serie A, Juve have shipped just 19 goals in 34 outings, while in the Champions League, Gianluigi Buffon's net has been breached on only five occasions in 10 matches, with the experienced goalkeeper having kept six clean sheets in the process.
Moreover, the Juventus Stadium has proven to be something of European fortress for the hosts since it was redeveloped. They are unbeaten in their last 12 home encounters in UEFA competition and have lost just one in 17.
They reached this stage of the tournament thanks to a 1-0 aggregate victory over Monaco, which came about thanks to the composure of Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal from the penalty spot.
Recent form: WDWWWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWDLWW
Real Madrid
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Almost as soon as Real Madrid had finished celebrating 'La Decima' in Lisbon 12 months ago, attention turned to whether or not they could become the first club to successfully defend the Champions League trophy.
As far as head coach Carlo Ancelotti - a former Juventus boss - is concerned, it's the only thing that could save his job at the Bernabeu and even that might not be enough to stop him being issued with his P45, particularly if rivals Barcelona pip Los Blancos to the La Liga title.
They make the trip to Turin with a positive away record in the Champions League, having lost just one of their last 11 games, winning eight times.
However, it must be said that Italy has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for the men from the Spanish capital. They have failed to win on any of their previous seven visits, with their last victory on Italian soil coming during the 2004-05 group stages against Roma.
On a more positive note, Ancelotti's charges have been uncharacteristically stingy on their travels. They have not conceded a goal away from home in this season's competition since the opening match against Ludogorets, which dates back some 444 minutes.
They also take positive form into this encounter, having beaten Sevilla 3-2 at the weekend courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick. It marked a first home defeat of the campaign for Andalusians and also sealed a seventh consecutive La Liga win for Madrid.
As for the Champions League, they reached this stage by disposing of city rivals Atletico in a repeat of last season's final. Javier Hernandez was the hero on that occasion as he scored the only goal of the tie late on in the second leg.
Recent form: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWWWWW
Team News
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Madrid's French international striker Karim Benzema has scored six Champions League goals this term, but it has been confirmed that a knee injury will sideline the 27-year-old for this tie.
His absence is likely to see Hernandez continue in his role as deputy up front, while Gareth Bale, who scored his first ever Champions League goal for Madrid against Juve last term, should start following a stint out with a calf complaint.
The inclusion of the Welsh winger is likely to condemn Isco to the bench, with Sergio Ramos potentially continuing in the holding midfield role as a result of the absence of Luka Modric.
Staying with the midfield battle, the home side will once again have to make do without the services of youngster Paul Pogba, who is still suffering with a hamstring complaint.
Patrice Evra and Carlos Tevez, both of whom were teammates of Ronaldo at Manchester United when they won the Champions League in 2008, are expected to feature, but an ankle knock has ruled out Martin Caceres.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pirlo, Vidal, Marchisio; Tevez, Llorente
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Casillas; Carvajal, Varane, Pepe, Marcelo; Ramos, Kroos, James; Bale, Ronaldo, Hernandez
Head To Head
These two sides have met on 16 occasions and there is very little to split them. There has been just the one draw, with Madrid leading the head-to-head record 8-7.
They were drawn together in last season's group stages - games that saw Real collect four points.
The most famous clash between the two came back in 1998 when they met in the final of the Champions League in Amsterdam. A closely fought contest went the way of the Spaniards thanks to Predrag Mijatovic's 66th-minute goal.
However, it's not all been bad for Juve, who famously won at the Bernabeu in 2008 when club legend Alessandro Del Piero scored a brace of goals.
We say: Juventus 0-0 Real Madrid
While Juventus do have talent of their own in attack, it's how their defence deals with the threat of Ronaldo and co that is likely to determine the outcome of this tie. The two teams may have different styles, but both are effective, which could see them cancel each other out. First legs are traditionally more cagey affairs than the return meetings, when both sides know exactly what is required to advance.
Liam Apicella
