Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri taking on history, not just Real Madrid, in Cardiff

Massimiliano Allegri drummed home one mantra above all as he took the stage on the eve of the Champions League final in Cardiff. “We have to win,” he said, repeatedly. “We have to win tomorrow.” Juventus may be a team with considerable baggage in this competition but, in Allegri, they have a manager determined to change that. It is, as he said, just "one game". But to this club, it means so much more.

It is only two years since Juventus lost to Barcelona in the final in Berlin - Allegri’s first season in charge. The most decorated club in Italian history, with six successive Serie A titles and three domestic doubles in three seasons under Allegri, have lost more European Cup finals than any other club. This the history Allegri now wants to change; the history Allegri wants to ignore.

“History doesn’t count. We can’t think of the past, what happened 15 20 or 50 years ago, we just have to do what we have to do to win the cup and bring it home,” he said. “We have worked for a whole year. All the trophies, and all the victories we've had this year, have been a sort of training for tomorrow. We have to win.”

It is one of the more curious facts in football that a team as dominant as Juventus are in Italy have been so diminished by European competition. They have lost in six finals and make for the most unlikely of underdogs given that if they win in Cardiff tomorrow they will have captured the treble. But in Madrid, they face their polar opposites: a team who have won more Champions League titles than league titles in the past few years; European specialists who are aiming to win their third title in four seasons, and become the first team to retain the Champions League since it was rebranded.

If all the omens point in one direction, Juventus have no intention of conforming to stereotype this time. Allegri warned Saturday night’s opponents that his team will not be cowed by the occasion, as they were against Barcelona in Berlin two years ago.

"In 2015 we got to the final and deserved to, but at the same time perhaps we were not strongly motivated – maybe we didn't feel confident enough after struggling for a few years in the Champions League,” said Allegri. “We didn't get to the final by chance, but we didn't expect to win. This year is different. Last year we had a good season in the Champions League and lost to Bayern in the last minute. We've been growing gradually. Now it's completely different."

Juve’s primary strength is obvious. This is a team who have conceded just three goals in the Champions League this season - and only one of those has come from open play. It is a formidable record. And yet the story of their season is not just one of defensive excellence embodied by Gianluigi Buffon and the centre-backs Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. In some respects, the real story of the season has been the Juve attack, and a fateful decision Allegri made back in January.

Ahead of a Serie A game against Juventus, Allegri famously devised his new ‘five star’ formation - moving away from 3-5-2 to a 4-2-3-1 which gave him the chance to field Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado, Miralem Pjanic and Mario Mandzukic on the pitch at the same time. Many thought it a short-term fix - even Allegri called it a “mad idea” at the time - but it delivered Juventus the Italian title and took them past Barcelona in the Champions League, before a semi-final against Monaco brought a return to the back three. Allegri tilted his side firmly towards attack and it paid off. He found balance through imbalance.

Equipped with two different and very potent formations, Allegri was giving nothing away regarding his tactics on the eve of the match. If the ‘five stars’ are abandoned, then Barzagli will replace Cuadrado to reinstate the back three. Not that Allegri was very keen to discuss such matters.

“I haven't taken any decision yet,” he said. “The match might last 90 minutes, or 120. We've adopted a new system of play in the last three or four months so, depending on whether you're trying to win in 90 minutes, you might have a certain system of play but you'll also need replacements. I need to think of both options to make sure my team is incisive throughout the game.”

Real Madrid’s dilemma is not one of formation per se, but personnel. Gareth Bale’s lack of match fitness ahead of his grand homecoming likely means he will start on the bench, with Isco given the chance to continue his impressive run of form in a playmaking role. They represent two very different threats. “Bale's very fast, has great speed and in open field he's devastating – in three passes he can take it from one end of the pitch to the other,” said Allegri. “Isco is less predictable than Bale but he gives Madrid less defensive order.”

Whatever team Madrid put out, Juventus will be ready. Having destroyed one piece of received wisdom already this season by deploying their attacking strategy, now Juve want to address an even bigger one hanging over the club and rule Europe again. “How we're going to tackle tomorrow's game is in total tranquillity and serenity,” said Allegri, convincingly. “We've worked all year for this.” Now the only thing left is to win.