Joel Richards

One of the oldest truisms in football is if you can’t concede, then you can’t lose.

A strong defence is considered the key cornerstone for any side to stand a chance of success, especially in a knockout competition where the ability to keep clean sheets is a priceless commodity in the face of away goals.

With that in mind and the help of Opta, we’ve looked at some of the meanest defences in the competition’s history to have reached the UEFA Champions League final. In order to maintain levels of consistency, we’ve restricted entry to sides who played in the competition’s current format which was introduced in 2003-04.

Manchester United – 2010-11 Goals Conceded: 4 (0.33 per game)

United began their Champions League campaign with five consecutive clean sheets before Valencia’s Pablo Hernandez breached their defence on matchday six during a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Incredibly, Alex Ferguson’s side never conceded away from home during the road to the final. With Edwin van der Sar in the final throes of an outstanding career, accompanied by one of the all-time great United centre-back pairings in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, United shipped just four goals en-route to setting up another meeting with Barcelona.

Ultimately though, Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team proved too much for the Premier League champions and a 3-1 win cemented their status as Europe’s finest.

Barcelona – 2005-06 Goals Conceded 4 (0.33 per game)

The first great team of the modern Barcelona era, Frank Rijkaard masterminded the club’s second European Cup win on the basis of a solid defence.

With La Masia graduates in Victor Valdes and Carles Puyol the key figures in the back five, Barca’s four goals against came the group stage and round of 16 before four consecutive clean sheets against Benfica and AC Milan ensured a May date with Arsenal in Paris.

Although the Catalans’ backline was breached with a first-half Sol Campbell header, goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti in the final quarter of the game swung the final Barcelona’s way and ushered in new dawn at Camp Nou.

Juventus – 2016-17 Goals Conceded 3 (0.25 per game) 

It all looked so promising for Juventus.

Having conceded twice in the group stage, the Italian champions proceeded to concede only once in the entire knockout stage, a consolation goal from Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe in the semi-final second leg.

With the evergreen Gianluigi Buffon protected by a back three of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli, they would face a Real Madrid outfit who scored 30 goals on their way to Cardiff. The final really was a case of attack versus defence.

What was such a robust defence eventually crumbled in a second-half onslaught from Real. Locked at 1-1, three goals in the final half an hour sealed their 12th European crown and inflicted a second final loss in three years on a beleaguered Juventus side.

Arsenal – 2005-06 Goals Conceded 2 (0.17 per game)

Barcelona may have conceded only four times ahead of 2006 final, but incredibly Arsenal only conceded twice.

In fact, the two goals Arsenal shipped came in their first two group stage games before an unforgettable road to Paris that took in victories against Real Madrid and Juventus before a nail-biting last-four clash against Villarreal.

With just two minutes remaining and Kolo Toure’s winner from the first leg still separating the sides, the Yellow Submarines were awarded a penalty. Cue Jens Lehmann to deny Juan Roman Riquelme with a super save and seal the Gunners’ first-ever Champions League final appearance.

Lehmann would go from hero to zero in agonising fashion. An 18th minute foul on Samuel Eto’o outside the box resulted in the goalkeeper becoming the first player to be sent off at this stage in the tournament’s history. Though Arsenal would rally and take an unlikely lead, Barcelona’s late fightback cruelly denied a spirited performance.