Morata: I'll shoot down Barcelona for Real Madrid!
The Spain international dumped the Blancos out in the semi-finals and now wants to make amends by upsetting their great rivals
Alvaro Morata claims he will try to shoot down Barcelona in Saturday's Champions League final not only for Juventus - but also Real Madrid.
The Spain international lifted the European trophy with the Blancos last May before joining Juve for €20 million during the summer transfer window.
Morata returned to haunt his former employers this season, however, netting the decisive goal in Juve's 3-2 aggregate victory over Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.
Consequently, Morata would now like to make amends somewhat by firing Juve to victory over his old club's fiercest rivals.
"I'll try to beat Barcelona, because of what it means for Real Madrid fans as well," the attacker told Cadena SER.
"But it would not be special because of having scored against Barca, but because of the importance of a Champions League final.
"It's an opportunity to go down in history, and obviously scoring against Barcelona would not be as painful as it was scoring against Madrid.
"But I need to actually score before thinking about celebrations! Getting a goal in a Champions League final against Barcelona is no easy task.
"I played for Madrid for many years, I'm not going to say it's an extra motivation for me because you don't need extra motivation when you play a Champions League final, but facing Barca will always be special for me."
Morata is well aware Juve - who are on track for their first-ever treble - will have their work cut out containing a Barca side for whom Lionel Messi has been spectacular of late.
The Argentina international netted a sensational opening goal in Saturday's Copa del Rey final win over Athletic Bilbao, just a fortnight after clinching La Liga with a fine finish in a 1-0 victory at Atletico Madrid.
However, Morata pointed out that the four-time Ballon d'Or winner has been brilliantly supported by Luis Suarez and Neymar this term, with the three having combined for a record-breaking 120 goals during the 2014-15 campaign.
"It is very difficult to stop Messi but there is not just him at Barcelona," he added. "The other two, Suarez and Neymar, can always punish you.
"If you focus only on Messi, the other two are going to kill you. And then their defence... People talk a lot about their attack but their defence is also top class.
"They are a great team in general, they are among the best in the world - if not the best - but I'm sure they also have plenty of respect for us because they know we can be dangerous and haven't reached the final by accident.
"We are certainly not going to Berlin thinking we are inferior to Barcelona. We would not even go there if we thought we had no chance of winning.
"They have had a great season, they are incredible players and they are in spectacular form right now.
"However, I think we have one of the best defensive lines in Europe. We have had some great performances ourselves and have handled some top-level players.
"It will be a very difficult game but we are confident we have our possibilities."