High-Security Night at the Bernabéu: Real Madrid vs Juventus Goes Under Lock and Key
21 October 2025
High-security night at the Bernabéu
A Spanish press report published on Tuesday states that Real Madrid's Champions League clash with Juventus will feature heightened security measures.
Madrid will host Juventus on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu in the third group stage match of the competition.
The report from Mundo Deportivo says a team of 1,800 police officers and emergency personnel will be part of the security operation prepared by the government delegation in the Madrid region, taking part in safeguarding the match.
The State Commission for the Fight Against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance classified the game as high risk, with a monitoring operation involving officers from the National Police and the Security Intervention Unit, along with other units; Madrid Municipal Police, the city mobility unit, and Civil Protection personnel will also be present.
It is expected that around 3,900 Italian supporters will fill the stadium, which Madrid fans will pack to the brim.
Historic clashes return to the Bernabéu
The Madrid Juventus clashes recall a rich history of classic meetings between the two giants, notably the 1998 final when Madrid won its first title since 1966 thanks to Predrag Mijatovic, and the 2017 final when Real won 4-1 with Ronaldo scoring twice to lift their 12th trophy.
The latest visit by Juventus to the Bernabéu was painful for their supporters after the Italian club felt the English referee Michael Oliver wrongly awarded Real a stoppage-time penalty, from which Ronaldo sealed the progression despite a 1-3 defeat.
Real Madrid had won the first leg in Turin, 3-0, including Ronaldo's acrobatic strike that drew long applause from Juventus fans and is often seen as a moment that foreshadowed his move to the Italian club.
Memories of finals return as Madrid and Juventus meet again after the Club World Cup, with the last meeting in July in the Club World Cup knockout stage, where Madrid won 1-0 thanks to Gonzalo Garcia's goal.
Madrid goes into Wednesday as favorites to make it three straight wins and claim nine points from three matches, following victories over Marseille 2-1 and Kairat 5-0, and leading La Liga with eight wins from nine games.
On the other hand, Juventus are enduring a tough spell under Croatian coach Igor Tudor, failing to win in six straight matches, including two Champions League matches that ended in draws against Borussia Dortmund 4-4 and Villarreal 2-2.
Juventus suffered their first league defeat of the season on Sunday to Como 0-2, heightening Tudor's pressure; he said after the game, I am always worried, that is the life of a coach. You must constantly think about how to improve, and we will discuss that inside the locker room.
Real Madrid continues to pick up wins despite the difficulties. Their latest league win over Getafe 1-0, with Mbappe scoring a late goal, came as they finished the match with nine players on the field.
Coach Xabi Alonso said afterward that the players faced the match bravely, adapted to the circumstances, and that their focus was high as they head into next week with positive energy.
Refereeing matters were announced by UEFA on Monday, naming the match official team for the Real Madrid–Juventus tie. Slovene Slavko Vincic will be the head referee, assisted by Tomas Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic, with David Schmitz as the fourth official.
Video technology will be overseen by German Daniel Dankert, with Martinez as his assistant. Vincic has been a lucky omen for Real Madrid, having refereed their last final at Wembley in 2024, when Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0.
He previously officiated another Madrid game last season against Milan at the Bernabéu, a 3-1 defeat for the Royals.
On the Juventus side, Vincic has refereed only one European tie for the Italians, the away leg of last season's quarterfinal when Eindhoven defeated Juventus 3-1 to reach the last 16.
Punchline: If security gets any tighter, even the ball will need a warrant to enter the box.
Punchline 2: With this level of planning, Juventus might need a pre-match red card just to cross the security line—talk about tactical fouls from the exits.
