Attend a Juventus game at the Allianz Stadium (Italy)
Being a soccer fan, it is difficult not to consider attending a Juventus match while staying in Turin.
As soon as we arrived, I inquired and saw with pleasure that a tasty Juventus of Turin vs Lazio of Rome would take place during our stay… before disappointing when I saw the price of the remaining tickets.
So I gave up the idea of attending a match of The Old Lady, until Anh (who doesn’t know much about soccer) told me again: “It’s Juventus of Turin anyway, it’s mythical”.
You didn’t have to tell me twice!
Juventus of Turin is one of the best clubs in Europe and has won the last 7 Italian championships. As the season begins, they are once again a huge favorite and will be a contender for the Champions League (The Bianconeri have been unfortunate finalists twice in the last four years).
Many great French players have played there: Platini, Zidane, Deschamps, Pogba, Trézéguet, Vieira, …
This year’s special feature: after 17 years at the club, the mythical captain Gianluigi Buffon is no longer there, he left to finish his career in Paris.
But Juventus are counting on a heavyweight reinforcement: Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the two best players in the world, has joined the Italian club for 105 million euros.
This Juventus – Lazio match, the second day of the championship will be Ronaldo’s first home game with his new colors. All the fans hope that it will be the occasion of his first goal.
How to buy a ticket for a Juventus match in Turin?
ATTENTION Much of what is indicated below is now obsolete. In order to buy tickets and access to the stadium, it is now necessary to order a “Juventus Card” (formerly “Tessera del Tifoso”) for each person. This card is valid for 10 years and costs 21,5 € (15 € for the card + 6,5 € shipping costs). You can buy it on the official Juventus website. Allow about 2 or 3 weeks to receive it
Conflicting information is circulating on the subject but it seems that this card isn’t compulsory for people not residing in Italy. As a comment, “Brunetta” was able to buy tickets without the juventus card. However, it is necessary to wait for the beginning of the free sale. If you want to see a big poster, the juventus card is still necessary, but there is a risk that there will be no more tickets available at the time of the sale.
Once received, you will be able to purchase the tickets on TicketOne with your membership number.
With this “Juventus Card”, you will not be given priority and can therefore only buy your tickets from the beginning of the “free sale”.
To have priority (without being a subscriber), you must, in addition to buying the “Juventus Card”, subscribe to the “Black&White membership” (65 € / year) or “D 1897 Membership” (179 € / year).
At this price, you get a “Welcome Pack” (including a soccer jersey for the “D 1897 Membership”) as well as priority access to sales (the “D 1897 Membership” being priority to the “Black&White membership” being itself priority over the others.
The purchase of the “juventus card” + the membership program is expensive if you only attend one or two matches (especially since you still have to take into account the price of the ticket!) but it is a must if you absolutely want to attend a prestigious match such as a Champions League match.
No particular difficulty, there is an official site on which you can buy tickets: Listicket.com (EDIT August 2019: the site seems to have changed, it is now https://sport.ticketone.it/search)
You can choose between several seat categories. The cheapest ones being gone, I got for the modest sum of 130 € (gloops) to which I even had to add 8.3 € of fees charged by the site.
ATTENTION When you buy tickets, please make sure to fill in the first and last names of the people who will be attending the game. Italian soccer having had big problems with violence a few years ago, tickets are nominative and identities are systematically checked (a French identity card does the job).
It is possible that the ticket sale will be open late for those who do not have a JUVENTUS club card, so check the dates of the Vendita libera (free sale) to know when you can buy your tickets.
The payment is made by credit card and you will receive the tickets by e-mail that you have to print.
The process is therefore simple and fast… except for me.
Turin in August is a bit like Paris… everything is closed! So I had a hard time the day before the match to find a store where I could print my ticket. The first 5 were closed, the 6th was the right one ! (type copisteria on google maps to find a place to print tickets)
How do I get to Allianz Stadium?
Allianz Stadium is slightly off-center but easily accessible by public transportation.
So I simply took the bus (look at the route with Google Maps), the trip costs 1,70 €. It took me about 30 minutes to reach the stadium.
However, it isn’t possible to buy a ticket on the bus, think about buying one in advance from a newsagent.
I discover the Allianz Stadium, outside it isn’t really pretty. It’s subjective but I even find it rather ugly. Too bad for such a recent stadium (opening in 2011).
The crowd of supporters crowds to the front doors. Ronaldo has only been here for a month, but at the jersey flocking contest, he is already the undisputed leader, far ahead of Dybala, the other star of the team.
I easily found the door indicated on my ticket. The access is fast. A first check to verify my identity, a second one with a metal detector. Not even a body search. Every time I go to a stadium abroad, I realize how heavy the terrorist context is in France, even if we have learned to live with it.
Michel Platini is well placed among the club’s legends who are being honored.
Given the price I paid, I was hoping for a slightly better position. It’s not very serious, the visibility is good and I’m close to the tifosis turn, I’d better enjoy the atmosphere. The stadium seems to be full (capacity of 41 000 people)
Game Summary
The composition of Juventus looks great. Note the presence of the neo world champion Blaise Matuidi.
The beginning of the game is shy and I am a little disappointed by the fervor of the fans which is only intermittent. The Turinese public is waiting for action before coming alive. So much so that it is regularly the Roman fans who stand out. This is far from the incredible atmosphere that I discovered in Buenos Aires with the San Lorenzo fans.
However, the public is a connoisseur, knows how to appreciate defensive gestures and conspire against technical errors.
Even if we feel that we’re at the beginning of the season and that there are still adjustments to be made, it’s undeniably technically heavy, many players are able to make the difference at any time.
Poor Bonucci is taking it for granted. Every time he gets the ball, he is applauded by half the audience and copiously whistled at by the other half. After 7 years in Turin, he had joined the Milanese enemy last year with a bang before returning to Turin this year. However, he will return a very clean copy after the match with Chiellini, his central defensive partner.
In midfield, with his recognizable but not very academic style, Matuidi is very valuable. Inexhaustible he recovers many balls.
Little worried behind, black and white people have trouble finding the fronts, however.
It will take until the 18th minute before there is some excitement and Khedira smashes the Lazio post.
At the 30th, it is the former Lyon player Pjanic who opens the score with a very nice half-volley from outside the area.
The second half is well controlled by Juventus and spaces are created in the last 20 minutes when the Romans begin to throw themselves forward to try to regain the score.
At the 70th, Ronaldo wakes up the stadium by being close to opening his counter, it will take a magnificent parry from Strakosha to prevent him from doing so.
It’s only a postponed game, 5 minutes later, Ronaldo misses completely because of a ball deflected by the goalkeeper, it benefits Mandzukic who definitively puts Juventus in the shelter.
Relieved, the public can chant Storia Di Une Grande Amore, the anthem of Juventus.
In short, I was expecting a more boiling atmosphere. Maybe it’s due to the beginning of the season?
I recommend that you get the tickets in advance, unlike me.
