Carlo Ancelotti has acknowledged Arturo Vidal’s ability but says Real Madrid will face a tough Juventus even if he does not start.
The Chilean is seen as a strong doubt to make the Bianconeri’s starting line-up on Wednesday evening in the Champions League clash at Madrid, having suffered a thigh strain at the weekend.
The Italians also head into the fixture also on the back of a 4-2 defeat to Fiorentina, but these are not factors that Los Blancos’ tactician is focused on.
“We have to analyse all aspects of Juve's last game, every minute and not just the 15 minutes when they struggled,” considered Ancelotti to reporters today.
“Juventus in general have many players with a lot of quality. Arturo Vidal is very important, he can score and move about the pitch well. He has shown his quality.
“Individuals aside, though, their overall strength lies in their organisation. They are strong on the break and in Pirlo they have someone with extraordinary ability.”
Madrid head into the match having defeated Malaga 2-0 at the weekend.
“Our game against Malaga last weekend was a good one. We need to repeat that intensity tomorrow.
“We have more confidence. Let's see what happens. I have confidence that the team is better and that they can repeat their performance from Malaga.
“We are playing with intensity. We are focused. I know this is an important week and we are preparing well.
“We have all of our players available except for Xabi Alonso, he began training and hopefully he will be ready in 15 days – but I am not going to give you my team for tomorrow.
“Sergio Ramos is available – he can play. Angel di Maria is playing well, he is full of confidence. He has a lot of character. I hope he continues that way as he is very important for us, he can play in many positions.
“Ronaldo’s starting position? He starts on the wing but he will push on and try to score from a forward position – it's very hard to score from the wing.
“We are not so crazy as to change the position of a player who scores 40 or 50 goals from a particular area of the pitch.”
The 54-year-old mused on the club’s direction this season to focus more on younger players.
“The aim here is for the young players to be the future of the club. Real Madrid had a clear objective in that – it is the priority of the club and the Coach.
“It is not easy to play here. They are gaining very important experience. Alvaro Morata is doing very well, I am happy with him and the rest of the young players. It is a fantastic experience for them.”
Ancelotti was also asked what he sees as different at Juventus since his spell over a decade ago as Coach in Turin.
“What has changed since I coached Juve? My hair! No, many things. I have more experience now.
“My experience at Juventus was very important in terms of my growth as a coach and a person.
“The results maybe were not great but my experiences and memories from that time are good ones.”
