Two of European football's biggest clubs will lock horns this evening at the Allianz Stadium as Juventus host Manchester United in a thrilling Champions League Group H clash, but how have the two teams fared against each other down the years?
Here at The Sportsman, we have delved into the record books to dig out some statistical nuggets for you ahead of Wednesday night's game and firstly we shall take a look at the head-to-head records between the two heavyweight teams.
Paulo Dybala's first-half strike at Old Trafford was enough to hand Juventus a battling 1-0 win over the Red Devils, but prior to that, United had got the better of their Italian adversaries three times on the bounce, with the most memorable coming in 1999 where a Roy Keane-inspired United came from two goals behind to win 3-2 and subsequently book their place in Champions League final, which Sir Alex Ferguson's side won in epic fashion against Bayern Munich.
Arguably, Juventus' biggest win over United came in the 1983/84 Cup Winners' Cup as Paolo Rossi struck in both legs of their semi-final clash to book the Old Lady's place in the final, where they beat Porto 2-1.
Statistically, Juventus just hold the upper hand in terms of the head-to-head record as in the 13 previous competitive matches with United they have won six, while the Red Devils have only recorded five wins, with two draws completing the H2H record.
Turning our attentions to tonight's clash, there are some eye-catching stats that just highlight what an uphill battle Jose Mourinho's side face if they are to make amends for their home defeat against I Bianconeri.
Since crashing out to Manchester United in the second group stage of the 2003 Champions League, Juventus have only lost one of their 35 home games (Won 24, Drawn 10) in the Champions League group stages, while Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri has only lost one of his last 26 home Champions League games (a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals last season).
Mourinho's United have found life tough this season domestically (7th in Premier League), but they have also failed to set the world alight in the Champions League and have not scored in their last two European outings. The last time they failed to score in three Champions League games in a row was way back in 2005.
One final statistic that could come to light this evening is that only twice in their Champions League history have United lost both home and away ties in the first group stages. Their first home and away defeat came against tonight's opposition Juventus in 1996-97, while the only other time was when Deportivo La Coruna beat them home and away in the 2001-02 Champions League campaign.
Relive Manchester United's epic 3-2 win over Juventus in 1999 here:
