Turin (Italy) : Coach Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid will need “patience” and the full support of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium when they host Juventus next week looking to secure a second successive Champions League final.
“We made more mistakes than normal, that was because of Juve’s pressing. Their line was higher in the second half,” said Ancelotti.
“But we’ll be confident because we are playing at home and the fans there will help us. We have to be patient. The result is a negative but not a bad one.”
“I didn’t celebrate because of my past” with Real, said Morata, who insisted that despite Juve’s “great performance” the Old Lady of Turin can’t quite celebrate just yet. We put in a great performance but we haven’t achieved anything yet. In the return leg Real will be on top form at home, as always. Ancelotti’s team is the best team in the world so we have to give everything we can if we are to secure our place in the final.”
Allegri has won plaudits for the tactical nous that has allowed Juve to get this far, with defender Patrice Evra saying: “Against a great Real side, we showed a lot of people what it means to play for a club like Juventus. “A lot of that is down to Allegri, and the club’s staff, who helped us prepare for this game in the best way possible. Our coach is just like us, he wants to get to the final.”
Allegri could have influential French midfielder Paul Pogba – a target for Real and several other major European sides – back in time for the return leg. But the Italian insisted that, without a goal, Juve’s chances of reaching the final in Berlin look slim. “Next Wednesday we’ll be up against an extra motivated Real side.
“I want to repeat, we have to play better than we did tonight. We have to score against them, otherwise reaching the final will be difficult.” —AFP
