These two sides haven't met since the Champions League final in 1997.
At this stage last year, Juventus were already out, having been frustrated on a snowy pitch in Istanbul, and Dortmund were stuck going up against eventual champions Real Madrid.
This season gives them both reason to hope. Juventus, because Dortmund are currently in the nearly inconceivable position of having to dig themselves out of the Bundesliga relegation zone. Dortmund, because Juventus aren't Real Madrid, and the Italian giants have certainly displayed some weaknesses recently, in both the league and this tournament.
Juventus
Juventus almost didn't make it this far, but the Italian side managed to secure qualification to the knockout rounds thanks to a draw against Atletico Madrid on the last group matchday. Despite their struggles with European form, Juve are still top of Serie A -- although for Juve two straight draws might be a sign that something is wrong.
Max Allegri is still tinkering with how to get the best out of the players at his disposal in his first season in charge of the Old Lady, a process that has been made much more difficult by several brutal runs of injury. Signs of a slow decline from Andrea Pirlo haven't helped either, but on the plus side Paul Pogba has been very very good and Carlos Tevez has arguably been the best striker in Italy, and not just for his Serie A leading goal tally.
Juventus aren't yet the force their sheer talent makes them capable of being, but if they can unlock that potential they have the ability to go a long ways in this competition. They've got a pair of hard fights ahead of them, though, both abroad and at home; now that Roma are out of the Champions League, the giallorossi can focus their efforts domestically. Going into the draw, Roma were just a point behind Juventus, so Juve can't afford to keep stumbling.
Key Player - Arturo Vidal
There aren't many midfielders these days with the ability to dominate in all phases of the game, but Vidal is one of them. He has an eye for quality passing, a cannon in his boot, and a head for quality defensive work. Vidal's playing form has been a little rough of late, and Juventus' results have suffered with him. When he's on, though, Vidal has the ability to drag his side along to a win almost no matter what else is going on. Allegri's top priority right now needs to be figuing out why Vidal is slumping and fixing it; once he does, Juventus will be much, much more likely to find success in the final rounds of the Champions League.The Dortmund of the Champions League is not the Dortmund of the Bundesliga this season. It's football's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as Jürgen Klopp's team won Group D via tiebreaker over Arsenal, but currently sit 16th in the league. How can a team be so effective in one competition and struggle so badly in another? Sadly, the answer remains elusive, especially to Klopp or one suspects he would've figured it out by now.
Dortmund
The disconcerting thing for Dortmund fans heading into the knockout round will be the team's overall form in the group stage. BVB started our very strong, winning their first four matches by a combined score of 13-1, but te final two games though were a different story. BVB looked horrible in a 2-0 loss to Arsenal and struggled to a 1-1 draw against Anderlecht on the final day. It almost felt like the league version of BVB was starting to show up more in the Champions League.
If that trend continues, Dortmund could easily find themselves knocked out in the Round of 16, especially if the draw is unkind. Winning the group on the last day should help give them a reasonable shot of advancing to the quarterfinals, but perhaps being able to focus exclusively on trying to rescue their league campaign might be a better priority at this point for the Germans.
Key player: Marco Reus
The immensely talented 25-year-old has had a tough season so far thanks to injuries that seem to keep popping up. He's still Dortmund best player, though, and the guy you want to have on the pitch as much as possible. The problem is there's a lot of rumors swirling around that he may not be with the club by the time the Champions League resumes. He's been linked with a possible move to several big clubs and even if he stays, this is likely to be a major distraction over the coming weeks. If Reus stays, BVB need him playing at his best, if he goes, it's a big hole to fill for Shinji Kagawa and others.
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