Foda: «It is an honour to play against Juve»
«It is an honour for the team and the club to host Juventus. We will be playing against a team that won the Champions League and which is made up of great champions and this is such a pleasure for us». Sturm Graz coach Franco Foda sis not hide his excitement with regards to the possibility of playing against Juventus, an emotion which must not be mistaken: the Austrian side is well prepared and has no intention of feeling defeated notwithstanding the importance of the opponent: «I watched both matches against Shamrock and one of our men watched the Trofeo TIM in Bari. We saw the recordings and studied them well. Juventus has four great attackers and a very disciplined defence. One must not forget that on international level it was always a great team. If one looks at the statistics and reads the name Juventus, Sturm Graz has no chance but the beauty of football and of sport that there are always surprises. We are always capable to win any match on a particular day. If the coach believes this, so must the team. Much will depend on how we begin the match. We must put Juve under pressure and play our game. If we manage to score, with the support of the public and our enthusiasm everything is possible and if my men play to their limits, doing what they know how to do, we can obtain a positive result in view of the return match».
By a positive result Foda did not mean necessarily a victory: «Even a 1-1 draw would be good because we often manage to score in away matches». Foda expects to see «Amauri and Diego in the starting line-up but the quality is noticeable in all 4 strikers» and goalkeeper Christian Gratzei, seated beside the coach during the press conference, stressed he did not fear anyone not even the free-kicks of Del Piero who against Shamrock scored his 40th goal from a free-kick: «I have known Del Piero’s free-kick technique for ages. I am not scared but I have respect for all the attackers.»
Juventus.com