adminPARIS. — Juventus head to Monaco tonight for the second leg of their Champions League soccer quarter-final looking to clinch a place in the last four for the first time in over a decade. An immovable force at the top of the European game in the 1990s, when they reached three consecutive finals, including beating Ajax in the 1996 show-piece, Juve were also Champions League runners-up in 2003, losing to AC Milan.
But they have not got beyond the last eight since, failing to translate their domestic dominance to the European stage. Nevertheless, while they close in on a fourth consecutive Serie A crown, they are now primed to secure a spot in the semi-finals in Europe after Arturo Vidal’s penalty gave them a 1-0 victory against the Principality club last Tuesday.
Crucially, Juventus did not concede an away goal in that game, meaning Monaco will now be obliged to come out and attack at home, something which is not their forte.
Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim has admitted his team are better suited to playing away from home, when they can hit teams on the break, as they did so devastatingly in London in the last 16 when they defeated Arsenal 3-1, that result allowing them to progress on away goals despite losing 2-0 at home.
“I was not surprised by Monaco because we didn’t underestimate them, but they played really well against us,” Juve’s veteran French international left-back Patrice Evra told Canal Plus.
“I think the second leg will be different and Juventus will have a greater control of the match. “I was really proud of Monaco when they beat Arsenal because I saw them playing without fear. Some of the Monaco players say that they are better away from home because the stadiums and the atmosphere are different.”
Evra knows that as well as anybody, having spent four years in the Mediterranean Principality, helping Monaco reach the Champions League final in 2004 before eventually moving on to Manchester United. — AFP.
Online Reporter