Juventus were appearing in their third European Cup final, having lost their previous appearances in 1973 and 1983. Liverpool were appearing in their fifth final, they were the reigning champions after beating Italian team Roma 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out after the 1984 final finished 1–1. Liverpool had also won the competition in 1977, 1978 and 1981. Since Juventus won the 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup, both teams had to face each other, during the season, in the 1984 European Super Cup at Juventus' home ground, the Stadio Comunale, due to both clubs experiencing fixture congestion, which was won 2–0 by the Torinese team with two goals from Zbigniew Boniek.