Mircea Lucescu believes the supporters will be in for a treat when Juventus lock horns with his Shakhtar outfit tomorrow night in Turin.
Both teams are the defending champions and current leaders of their respective leagues, providing plenty of spice and intrigue for the first ever Champions League game at Juventus Stadium.
The experienced manager has worked wonders since taking up the reins in 2004 - and brings his team to Turin on a 25-game winning run.
He began, however, by outlining his admiration for the work done by Antonio Conte and his staff in bringing the Bianconeri back to Europe’s elite competition.
Addressing reporters at Juventus Stadium, Lucescu said: “Juventus are currently one of the best teams in Europe and are the group favourites, especially after the point gained in London.
“We also play an attractive style of football and have an exceptional stadium and fans to match. Tomorrow will be a difficult game, also considering the fact that Juventus are back in the Champions League after a long time away and will be urged on by their entire public.
“We’ll need to remain alert and focused. I’ve shown my players the Roma game and explained that you can’t afford to play in that way against Juventus, leaving them with total freedom.”
Joining the Romanian coach for the meeting with the media was Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho. The 27-year-old, who has made over 250 appearances for Shakhtar, is confident of getting a result if the visitors succeed in stopping one man in particular.
Fernandinho admitted: “We know how Juve play and if we manage to keep our concentration we could get a result. We approach the game following a tough encounter with Dnipro, given that we missed two penalties - but we’re ready to face the Bianconeri. Pirlo’s a fantastic player and has shown his ability throughout his entire career. I hope we’ll be able to stop him.”
Lucescu - who possesses a wealth of experience in Italian football following managerial spells at Pisa, Brescia, Reggiana and Inter - concluded with his own personal thoughts on the Bianconeri playmaker.
“I know Andrea well. I gave him his debut at Brescia when he was just a youngster. I wanted to draw attention towards him and his talent. I linked up with him again at Inter and his development has been exceptional. I’m convinced he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, given his extraordinary career. But Juve aren’t just about Pirlo.”
Source: Juventus.com
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