Individual flair against collective talent; past tradition against current track record; Spanish boy wonder Raul Gonzales against Italian boy wonder Alessandro Del Piero; Spain's most successful side against Italy's best and both of them liberally sprinkled with internationals expected to figure promimently in next month's World Cup finals in France - all in all, tomorrow night's European Champions Cup final between Real Madrid and Juventus in Amsterdam has plenty to recommend it.

There is no doubt that this final billing represents just about as close to a `Dream Final' as UEFA executives could wish. On the one hand, you have a side, Real Madrid, whose very name is the stuff of soccer legend. For some of us old enough to remember, it is a name that conjures up black and white TV images of a May night at Hampden Park in 1960 when the then European kings trounced German side Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3. In those days Real Madrid, who have won the Champions Cup six times and indeed won the first five editions of the trophy, was a side packed with star foreign players including, above all, two legendary figures in Argentinian Alfredo Di Stefano and Hungarian Ferenc Puskas. The Real Madrid side that lines out tomorrow night may not contain players who merit comparison with those former greats but it is certainly not short on international talent including Brazilian Roberto Carlos and Italian Christian Panucci in defence, Frenchman Christian Karembeu, Dutchman Clarence Seedorf and Argentinian Fernando Redondo in midfield as well as Yugoslav Pedrag Mijatovic in attack.

If Real Madrid bring with them a glorious past, then Juventus are currently riding high on an all-conquering present. The team from Turin, owned by the Agnelli family - the major shareholders in automobile giant FIAT - have won the Champions Cup only twice but in recent seasons no European club has been more consistently successful at home and abroad.

While Real Madrid last played in a Champions Cup final when losing 1-0 to Liverpool in 1981, Juventus, of course, are making their third consecutive Champions Cup final appearance, following a 1996 triumph against Ajax Amsterdam and last year's loss to Borussia Dortmund. Furthermore, while Real Madrid have finished this Spanish League season in fourth position, Juventus 10 days ago collected their third Italian title in four seasons.

Indeed, an interesting subtext is the managerial state of the two sides. Whilst While Marcello Lippi is currently untouchable at Juventus, his opposite number, German Jupp Heynckes, is almost certainly headed for dismissal by Real, win or lose tomorrow night. Lippi's work clearly has the support and respect of both players and directors, the same cannot be said of Heynckes.

While Real Madrid are by the presence of some bewitching talents, Juventus is a side founded on collective effort. However, while defined by unquenchable team spirit, Juve can also boast rich deposits of flair and often extravagant footballing gifts.

And nowhere is that flair more evident than in the in-form Del Piero. He has scored nine Champions League goals this season as well as vital league goals, most notably in the all decisive top of the table clash with Inter Milan last month.

Del Piero, like many of his team-mates, looks back to last year's loss to Borussia Dortmund as the key motivating factor for tomorrow night.

"I don't know if that was the worst night of my career, but it was certainly an awful thing . . . One similarity between last year and this is that we have again won the league title, except that this time we won it a week earlier than last year and that has allowed us prepare this final with much less stress."

While Del Piero lays emphasis on his side's relatively trouble-free preparations (Juventus should be at full strength, while Real have doubts about Morientes), the man who may well mark him tomorrow night, Hierro, looks to club tradition saying: "I get the feeling that we're going to win in Amsterdam, we're the favourites . . . No one should ever forget who we are, remember, we're Real Madrid."

Glorious past against current unstoppable form would ordinarily seem an uneven contest. But this is much more than a simple cup game. The prize is quite possibly the biggest in world club football and mere form can never legislate for such an occasion.