The Bianconeri coach spoke ahead of the challenging encounter against the Madrid giants.
“Run a lot, make no mistakes, believe, have courage, and a bit of luck.” Igor Tudor laid out his formula for facing Real Madrid in tonight`s FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 match in Miami (9 PM Italian time). “We prepared differently compared to the game against Manchester City,” the Juventus coach emphasized, “but now we must look forward. It`s not ideal to face Real Madrid, but we strongly believe in ourselves. It`s a tough match against a prestigious team; Real Madrid is always very strong in tournaments. We will play our cards because we want to advance.”
OPPORTUNITY
Tudor holds great respect for Real Madrid but wants his players to turn challenges into opportunities: “I really liked Real Madrid`s last game; they played with quality and sacrifice. Xabi Alonso has quickly conveyed his ideas; you can already see aspects similar to his Bayer Leverkusen. Xabi will do very well in Madrid. Real possesses top-level players. However, as I told my lads, we must treat it as an opportunity: everyone hopes to beat Real Madrid.”
Modric Forever
The Juventus coach will reunite with Luka Modric, a friend, compatriot, and future AC Milan player: “Someone like Modric is born once every 300 years in Croatia; he is a special player and person. He`s a source of pride for all of us Croatians. I love him dearly and hope he continues to play and enjoy himself because he`s only 40.”
Inter and the Transfer Market
Meanwhile, while awaiting Real Madrid-Juventus, Fluminense eliminated Inter in the Club World Cup round of 16: “As a Serie A club, we always hope Italian teams progress, but then I`m focused on Juventus and only think about us. South American teams are a surprise, but not entirely so: they invest, have quality, and strong fan support. This tournament is fascinating, although we`ve seen little of what`s outside due to our intense training.” He concluded on the transfer market: “How many reinforcements are needed? We`ll discuss that at the end of the World Cup.”
