Pepe claims Real Madrid have what it takes to eliminate Juventus in next week’s Champions League semi-final, despite Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Valencia.
The capital giants all-but-conceded the League to Barcelona after they failed to beat Los Che at the Santiago Bernabeu, but the defender is refusing to dwell too much on their disappointing result and now has eyes on the Old Lady.
“We didn’t start the match well, but we had a great second half,” he said after the game.
“If we play well against Juve, we’ll beat them. La Liga is difficult now, but we must sweat for the jersey.
“The referee told me I’m a robust player. I have to [make sure that] I play well and avoid getting yellow cards.
“Andre Gomes made many more fouls [than me] but keep playing. It wasn’t an easy match [to officiate], but the referee made complicated things.
“[On Iker Casillas’ possible misjudgement for Valencia’s first goal], it’s difficult [to say]. We all win and we all lose. It’s a very delicate situation for us.
“[Regarding Toni Kroos’ injury], let’s see what happens with it. We don’t know what [condition] he’s in, but we hope he can help us against Juventus on Wednesday.”
Madrid head into Wednesday’s second leg on the back of a 2-1 defeat in Turin but have a valuable away goal to their credit.
