(CL)Juventus vs Werder Bremen (23 Viewers)
- Thread starter THE CHAMPIONS
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Alessandro Del Piero says Juventus need no motivation ahead of Tuesday's make-or-break UEFA Champions League tie against Werder Bremen. The captain may be one of only two survivors from the Juventus side that won this competition ten years ago, but he has no fears about his team-mates' desire to overturn the 3-2 first knockout round first-leg defeat in Germany.
'Fired up'
"The squad is filled with players who have international and European experience, so the fact I am one of the only players to have won it before makes absolutely no difference," the 31-year-old Italy forward said. "These players are in no need of any motivation whatsoever. We all know how very special this tournament is, and how much we want to go through to the next round, so we will be very fired up when we get on the pitch."
Looking forward
The Bianconeri were accused of taking Liverpool FC too lightly last season as the English Premiership team beat them in the quarter-finals en route to becoming European champions, and the same accusation was made of Juventus after the reverse in Bremen. However, 'Pinturicchio' was quick to deny any such suggestion. "We didn't consider the Liverpool game an easy one, and nor do we think that about Werder Bremen," he said. "The fact is there's no point dwelling on the past. We must look to the future, starting tomorrow."
Italy goal
Del Piero helped ease the pain of the Bremen loss by scoring in Italy's 4-1 victory over Germany last week, but the No10 said it was difficult to draw parallels between that match and the visit of Thomas Schaaf's men. "I hope this game pans out in exactly the same way. But you can't really compare the two because they are two different sides. What I can say is that my team-mates have reacted well since coming back from international duty. It's not easy when you're playing matches every three days. We only had two and a half days to prepare for Saturday's game at UC Sampdoria [a 1-0 win] but I've been very impressed with the professionalism of the squad. We only started thinking about Bremen on Sunday."
Uncertain starter
With David Trezeguet back in the starting lineup and Zlatan Ibrahimović hoping to pass a late fitness test, Del Piero is uncertain about whether he will feature from the start. He appeared as a substitute in the first leg and made a telling contribution by having a hand in both Juventus goals. However, under coach Fabio Capello, that is no guarantee of first-choice status. "I really want to start but that's not up to me. Whoever does play knows what is required. We're 3-2 down, we need to win and the only way we can do that is by scoring."
'Fired up'
"The squad is filled with players who have international and European experience, so the fact I am one of the only players to have won it before makes absolutely no difference," the 31-year-old Italy forward said. "These players are in no need of any motivation whatsoever. We all know how very special this tournament is, and how much we want to go through to the next round, so we will be very fired up when we get on the pitch."
Looking forward
The Bianconeri were accused of taking Liverpool FC too lightly last season as the English Premiership team beat them in the quarter-finals en route to becoming European champions, and the same accusation was made of Juventus after the reverse in Bremen. However, 'Pinturicchio' was quick to deny any such suggestion. "We didn't consider the Liverpool game an easy one, and nor do we think that about Werder Bremen," he said. "The fact is there's no point dwelling on the past. We must look to the future, starting tomorrow."
Italy goal
Del Piero helped ease the pain of the Bremen loss by scoring in Italy's 4-1 victory over Germany last week, but the No10 said it was difficult to draw parallels between that match and the visit of Thomas Schaaf's men. "I hope this game pans out in exactly the same way. But you can't really compare the two because they are two different sides. What I can say is that my team-mates have reacted well since coming back from international duty. It's not easy when you're playing matches every three days. We only had two and a half days to prepare for Saturday's game at UC Sampdoria [a 1-0 win] but I've been very impressed with the professionalism of the squad. We only started thinking about Bremen on Sunday."
Uncertain starter
With David Trezeguet back in the starting lineup and Zlatan Ibrahimović hoping to pass a late fitness test, Del Piero is uncertain about whether he will feature from the start. He appeared as a substitute in the first leg and made a telling contribution by having a hand in both Juventus goals. However, under coach Fabio Capello, that is no guarantee of first-choice status. "I really want to start but that's not up to me. Whoever does play knows what is required. We're 3-2 down, we need to win and the only way we can do that is by scoring."
..anyone wanna join the gang
Juventus boss Fabio Capello is confident of beating Werder Bremen on Tuesday evening.
The Bianconeri must recover from their 3-2 first leg defeat in Germany two weeks ago, but the coach believes his players can do it.
“I’m hopeful as my team is in good shape both mentally and physically,” said the former Milan and Roma boss.
"They have players with attacking characteristics and won’t be able to forget that, especially as sides do look to score during away games in Europe.
Capello is expected to field his strongest side for the game, although striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a concern after breaking down during training.
“Trezeguet and Ibrahimovic both trained today but Ibra had a slight problem at the end, we’ll see how he is tomorrow," he added.
Should the Swede fail to make the starting line-up it is likely that Alex Del Piero will deputise, and he is quite confident that he can make an impact.
“I’ve been in some good form for a while now, even if the whole team is doing well also,” said the Juve skipper.
“We are preparing for this game with the right amount of concentration and we know about what dangers we will be up against.”
-Sky Sports
The Bianconeri must recover from their 3-2 first leg defeat in Germany two weeks ago, but the coach believes his players can do it.
“I’m hopeful as my team is in good shape both mentally and physically,” said the former Milan and Roma boss.
"They have players with attacking characteristics and won’t be able to forget that, especially as sides do look to score during away games in Europe.
Capello is expected to field his strongest side for the game, although striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a concern after breaking down during training.
“Trezeguet and Ibrahimovic both trained today but Ibra had a slight problem at the end, we’ll see how he is tomorrow," he added.
Should the Swede fail to make the starting line-up it is likely that Alex Del Piero will deputise, and he is quite confident that he can make an impact.
“I’ve been in some good form for a while now, even if the whole team is doing well also,” said the Juve skipper.
“We are preparing for this game with the right amount of concentration and we know about what dangers we will be up against.”
-Sky Sports
