07/03/2005
Zidane confident Real will see off Juventus
Real Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane
believes his side are in a much stronger position going into the second
leg of their Champions League knockout round clash with Juventus than
they were two years ago.
In the 2003 semi-final Real beat the Italians 2-1 in the first leg only
to lose 3-1 in the return in Turin.
This time the nine-times European champions go into the second leg
holding a 1-0 advantage after the first game at the Bernabeu.
"We are in a better position this time round than two years ago, because
Juve haven't scored an away goal," the Frenchman told a news conference
on Monday.
"We will go there with the aim of scoring and that will make life
difficult for them.
"They have to come out and attack and that is much better for us because
the game will be more open. The important thing for us will be to match
their strong start and to do that we will have to be very alert.
"But if half an hour goes by and they don't score then I'm convinced we
will go on to score and win."
The 32-year-old former Juventus player stressed that success in this
year's competition was a top priority for his side.
"For us and the fans the Champions (League) is very important. We won it
three years ago and we want to win it again," said Zidane, who scored in
the 2-1 final victory against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002.
"We want to go through and we will do all we can to win it."
Zidane has missed Real's last two league games because of a groin injury,
but insisted that he was fully recovered and ready to face his old side.
"I'm feeling fit. I've been out 10 days, but I've worked well over the
last four and I'm heading to Turin with all the enthusiasm in the world,"
he said.
Real captain Raul and England striker Michael Owen were both back in
full training after recovering from illness and were included in the
squad for the trip to Turin.
The line-up in training suggested that Raul will partner Ronaldo in
attack, while Owen will start on the bench.
England captain David Beckham also trained normally despite complaining
of back pain after Real's 1-1 draw at Valencia on Saturday.
