A Quest to End the Decade-long Drought
It's
three times the charm for the Italians who are on the hunt for a place
on the final four which shied away from them since 2003.
Juventus is expected to exude confidence as they face Monaco in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. They are seeking their third straight away win in the competition after defeating Malmö and Borussia Dortmund both in the comfort of their home fields.
The
Bianconeris are heading to the match with high spirits as they take the
top spot at Serie A. They are now 15 points secured to clinching their
fourth consecutive domestic crown after defeating the second placed
Lazio last Saturday.
Despite being the clear favorites, Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri is still anticipating a solid clash against the French side.
Despite being the clear favorites, Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri is still anticipating a solid clash against the French side.
“The clean sheet at home gives us a slight advantage, even though it won't be straightforward,” he said.
“We now know our opposition: they're very well organised in defence and possess technique and physicality in forward areas.
“I'm
optimistic, even though we know we'll have to put in a good performance
and score to reach the next round. They're a complicated side to play
against. Monaco don't give you an inch out there.''
On
the other hand, the Red and Whites will need the ultimate support of
their home crowd, which was seriously lacking in their last four home
defeats. Stade Louis II rarely reaches the 10,000 audience mark, which
is the prime disadvantage of playing on home soil.
They
will be on their last run to gain a spot in the semis after missing it
since 2004. If the lack of the sixth man is not trouble enough, Monaco
is yet to have more headaches as they will be without the services of
Lacina Traore and Tiemoue Bakayoko who are both sitting out with leg
injuries.
Coach
Leonardo Jardim remains to be heaping praises towards his young guns
after being in charge of the team for ten months since he replaced
Claudio Ranieri last June.
"We
went from the worst qualified team in the fourth pot, to winning the
group, to knocking out a European giant in Arsenal," Jardim told BeIN
Sports.
"Right
now, you could say that Monaco's coach is very proud of his players.
We've shown that we don't need to make big investments to go far in this
competition.”
Will
the Monacan's effort be enough to overturn a one-goal deficit against
the French outfit? Who will reach the last four first? Find out on April
23, 02:45 (GMT+8).
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