Italian football cannot be considered favourite to win the Champions League, Sarri

Record ID: 1432776

  • Title: Italian football cannot be considered favourite to win the Champions League, Sarri
  • Date: 17th September 2019
  • Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (SEPTEMBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) JUVENTUS PLAYERS AT WANDA METROPOLITANO STADIUM FORWARD, CRISTIANO RONALDO, AT WANDA METROPOLITANO STADIUM RONALDO; STRIKER, GONZALO HIGUAIN; FORWARDS, JUAN GUILLERMO CUADRADO, AND DEFENDER, ALEX SANDRO, ON THE PITCH HIGUAIN TALKING WITH RONALDO AND ALEX SANDRO RONALDO, HIGUAIN, CUADRADO AND ALEX SANDRO ON THE PITCH FORWARD, PAULO DYBALA, JOINING HIS TEAM MATES ON THE PITCH VARIOUS OF PLAYERS ON THE PITCH PLAYERS POSING FOR A PHOTO VARIOUS OF RONALDO SHOWING THE PHOTO TO HIS TEAM MATES MIDFIELDERS, MIRALEM PJANIC, SAMI KHEDIRA, BLAISE MATUIDI AND ADRIEN RABIOT, ON THE PITCH GOALKEEPER, GIANLUIGI BUFFON, NEXT TO PJANIC DEFENDER, DANIELE RUGANI, ON THE PITCH PLAYERS ON THE PITCH DEFENDER, MATTHIJS DE LIGT, AND REST OF TEAM MATES LEAVING THE PITCH COACH, MAURIZIO SARRI, AND BONUCCI, ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) JUVENTUS COACH, MAURIZIO SARRI, SAYING (ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL TRANSLATION): "Right now, Italian soccer, talking in historical terms, cannot be considered a favourite in this kind of competition because unfortunately, there are other realities much more important than us. In the last 20 years we have lost and we are the ones to blame." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) JUVENTUS COACH, MAURIZIO SARRI, SAYING (ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL TRANSLATION): "(Atletico Madrid) is one of the clubs that can win. I come from my last experience in a soccer league that right now is very rich and they have five teams that can be considered as favourites. At this moment it is very difficult to beat an English team. Atletico Madrid have lost extraordinary players but they have brought other extraordinary players in." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) JUVENTUS DEFENDER, LEONARDO BONUCCI, SAYING (ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL TRANSLATION): "It is not in Juventus' DNA to think about drawing a match before even playing the match. Tomorrow we want to show that the path that we have started with the coach is the right one and see some improvements from the last game but we will want to claim the points so we keep progressing in the Champions (League)." SARRI LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM VARIOUS OF SIMEONE AND GIMENEZ ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID, COACH DIEGO SIMEONE, SAYING: "It is complicated to plan something to stop a player like him (Cristiano Ronaldo). He is a goal scoring animal. His records are extraordinary and any situation involving him next to the box creates danger or an alert. It is obvious that he is not easy to control. He is good in the air, good shot, good sprint, breaks the line very good. What else can we tell about him? We have already suffered with him. We have won we have lost but it is obvious that he is a goal scoring animal." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID, COACH DIEGO SIMEONE, SAYING: "It is a very competitive and strong team (Juventus), they have been like this during their history. They sign players with great potential. You can tell that just by looking at how many people they had to leave out of the list for the Champions (League)." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID DEFENDER JOSE MARIA GIMENEZ, SAYING: "Any match motivates us. We are motivated just by getting into the pitch and see eleven rivals. We are aware of the importance of this match. It is the first of the group stage. For us it is very important as any other game but it would be very good to make a good start." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2019 20:48
  • Keywords: Champions League Atletico Madrid Premier League Juventus Maurizio Sarri Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Location: MADRID, SPAIN
  • City: MADRID, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Soccer,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA001AX1QUYN
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri said on Tuesday (September 17) Atletico Madrid might be considered, along with the Premier League teams, one of the favourites to lift the Champions League.
    In a news conference previewing their Group D opener at Atletico's Wanda Metropolitano stadium, Sarri said Italian soccer is not going through its best moment.
    Juventus have not won the Champions League since the 1995-96 season, but were the runners-up in the 2016-17 season and have since consistently reached the quarter-final stage.
    Asked about Atletico, Sarri highlighted the quality of Simeone's side even after losing some big names in the summer transfer window.
    Midfielder Miralem Pjanic is match fit for Wednesday's (September 18) match and Sarri might include him in the line-up.
    Atletico will be without striker Alvaro Morata who is still recovering from a knee sprain.
    One of the difficult task that Atletico will face is to stop Cristiano Ronaldo.
    The Spanish team have faced the Portuguese striker in many occasions and Simeone recognised that it is very difficult to develop a plan to stop him.
    Atletico lost to Juventus in the Round of 16 stage in the 2018-19 season, suffering a 3-2 defeat, and the last time they reached the quarter-final of the Champions League was during the 2016-17 season, although they were the runners-up in the 2015-16 season.
    (Production: Silvio Castellanos)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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