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Monaco not retreating yet on Champions League final qualification

Juventus are in a commanding position as they look to reach their second Champions League semi-final in the space of three years, but Monaco have not yet given up hope.

Monaco have reached the Champions League semis for the fourth time after 1993-94, 1997-98 and 2003-04. No other French team has made the last four more than once.Sascha Schuermann / AFP

Juventus are in a commanding position as they look to reach their second Champions League semi-final in the space of three years, but Monaco have not yet given up hope.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side hold a two-goal lead going into today’s home second leg in Turin after Gonzalo Higuain scored twice in the first leg.Higuain’s double improved what had been a miserable record in the Champions League knockout stages, while Juve’s defence continue to set records.

Monaco, meanwhile, remain in with a chance of Ligue 1 glory domestically and a dramatic turnaround against Juve would take their sensational campaign to another level, with Kylian Mbappe looking to make more of an impact than he did in the first leg.

Here, we take a look at some of the key Opta stats ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.Higuain scored two goals in the first leg, as many as in his 24 previous Champions League knockout games. With five goals this season, it is already the most prolific campaign of his career in the competition.

Dani Alves has scored more goals (9) and delivered more assists (25) than any other full-back in the Champions League since his debut in 2007-08. He delivered two assists for Higuain in the first leg.

Radamel Falcao and Mbappe have scored 10 of Monaco’s last 16 Champions League goals. In the first leg, Mbappe failed to find the net for the first time after having started a game in the competition.

No team has ever overturned a 2-0 first-leg home defeat in the Champions League knockout stages in 14 previous attempts.This is the second time these sides have met in a Champions League semi-final, Juventus securing their passage to the final with a 6-4 aggregate victory 19 years ago before losing to Real Madrid in the final (1997-98).

Monaco have reached the Champions League semis for the fourth time after 1993-94, 1997-98 and 2003-04. No other French team has made the last four more than once.

Juventus are unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League home games (W11 D7), their longest run without a defeat in the competition on home soil. Bayern Munich were the last team to beat them, back in April 2013 (2-0).

Juve have not conceded a goal for 621 minutes, the current longest run in the competition. Six consecutive clean sheets constitute their best run in the competition. Sevilla’s Nico Pareja was the last player to find the net in Turin, back in November.

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