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Cristiano Ronaldo returns for Juventus in today’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Ajax in Amsterdam, a tie between two grand European names that is also an enticing repeat of the 1996 final.

Ronaldo suffered a thigh injury playing for Portugal late last month and has not featured for Juventus since netting a stunning hat-trick to dump out Atletico Madrid in the last 16 in early March, missing his club’s last four Serie A matches.

“Cristiano has trained with the team and is available. As long as nothing happens tonight or tomorrow morning (today), he will start,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said last  evening at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

The return of the competition’s all-time top scorer is a big boost for Juve, who without him have moved to within a point of an eighth straight Serie A title.

“Cristiano looks the same as ever. He’s in good shape, a very important player for us, as everyone knows, and we are happy he’ll be with us,” said defender Daniele Rugani, who is set to start in place of the injured Giorgio Chiellini.

Ronaldo has scored 24 goals for Juve this season and 124 in total in the Champions League, a tournament he has won five times, including in the last three seasons with Real.

His goals in the last 16 rescued Juventus after they lost 2-0 at Atletico in the first leg, and Allegri warned his team not to repeat that performance here.

“We cannot think of leaving here without a goal,” he said.

If Ronaldo’s move to Juventus for €100 million heralded the end of an era in Madrid, the Spanish side’s reign as kings of Europe was really finished when they were humbled by Ajax in the last round.

The Dutch club recorded a stunning 4-1 win away in the second leg to advance 5-3 on aggregate and reach their first Champions League quarter-final since 2003.

Ajax have won the trophy four times, beating Juventus 1-0 in the 1973 final in Belgrade with Cruyff as captain and Johnny Rep scoring the winner.

However, it is the 1996 final defeat on penalties against Juve in Rome which really still rankles. Ajax were the holders at the time but felt they were cheated following allegations of doping by their opponents, although Juve always denied those.

It was only just after that final that Ajax moved to their current home, but it is a stadium dripping with history, with the bust of Cruyff at the entrance and the photographs of past stars lining the walls.

Yet in the modern game Ajax are the gatecrashers, the first Dutch quarter-finalists for 12 years.

“For Ajax it is very important to play the quarter-finals but also financially the circumstances have really changed in recent years and for a country like the Netherlands it’s really difficult to get to this stage,” coach Erik ten Hag said.

Ajax’s revenue for last season was under €100 million, barely a quarter of Juve’s.

“It’s not only good for Ajax but also for the Champions League as it’s not good that each year the same seven or eight clubs get to the quarter-finals and win the Champions League,” insisted the coach.

“That is not what supporters want. Football has to surprise people and it’s very nice that we can be the surprise this year.”

Ajax’s success this season has come thanks to a mixture of young stars like captain Matthijs de Ligt and Barcelona-bound Frenkie de Jong, and more experienced players like Dusan Tadic.

They are still fighting on three fronts, and in some ways this tie is a bonus for a club whose priority is really winning a first Dutch title since 2014.

“We have a lot of young players and we were lacking the middle category in terms of age. This season you can see the success of that balance,” said Ten Hag of his squad. – 

Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer enjoyed a charmed life as interim Manchester United manager but Barcelona’s visit to Old Trafford today will show him the scale of the task he faces as the new full-time boss.

The Norwegian was rewarded with a three-year deal after dramatically reviving United’s fortunes since taking caretaker charge in December, lifting them back into contention for a top-four place and transforming the mood at the club.

The highlight of his reign so far was a dramatic 3-1 away victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 in the Champions League, which enabled United to overturn a 2-0 first-leg defeat to reach the quarter-finals on away goals.

Solskjaer has given his creative players licence to attack, with Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford let off the leash to devastating effect.

But some of the gloss has come off in recent weeks, with three defeats in four matches badly denting United’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League and dumping them out of the FA Cup.

Solskjaer, who famously scored the winning goal for United against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona, was upbeat after drawing the Spanish league leaders in the quarter-finals last month, before he was confirmed as the new long-term boss.

“We want these games against the biggest clubs and the biggest teams. We had the final against them in 2009 and 2011 (both of which Barca won) and the semi-final in 2008 when Scholesy (Paul Scholes) scored,” Solskjaer said.

“It’s these games our fans and this club crave. We are looking forward to this one.”

Worryingly for Solskjaer, though, some of United’s familiar failings under Jose Mourinho have returned to haunt them in the weeks since the draw was made.

They were unfortunate to lose at Arsenal but appeared short of inspiration in losing twice to Wolves in the FA Cup and Premier League, while even Solskjaer admitted they did not deserve their solitary win since he was given the permanent job as Watford enjoyed the better of the chances in a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer had a free ride when he took over from Mourinho, with morale at a low ebb and the club 11 points off the top four.

Despite recent hiccups, he has had notable success in his short time at the club and ultimately has his sights set higher than finishing in the top four.

“You’ve got to aim high,” he told ESPN. “You cannot aim too low at this club. You’ve got to aim to win titles.

“When I came back here as the manager I thought a lot about what makes a winning team. What does it really take to win on the biggest stage? I’m not one to sit back, rest on my laurels.”

The 46-year-old will probably be forgiven if United fall short against a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona.

But if he fails to reverse the mini-slump and United suffer a heavy defeat to the Spanish champions there is a danger the season could peter out and momentum could be lost.

Questions will be asked as to whether United were too quick to put their trust in a likeable leader and whether Solskjaer has the profile needed to bring in the top-level recruits that United need, particularly in defence, to become serious Premier League and European challengers again.

But he will lead his team out at Old Trafford today for their first Champions League quarter-final since 2014 with the same never-say-die attitude he had as a player.

“We’ve got a chance, it’s going to be a tough one. We’ve got a mountain to climb, but we’ve climbed a few mountains before,” said Solskjaer

— AFP.