Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has described Champons League opponents Atletico Madrid are ‘the European team most similar to ours’.
Atleti won the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie between the sides 2-0 ahead of Tuesday’s second clash in Turin.
“Atletico Madrid are probably the European team most similar to ours, as they are solid in defence and have always achieved their results as a team and not just with individuals,” Chiellini told his press conference.
“That doesn’t mean they don’t have weak points, as we all do, nor does it mean they’ll keep a clean sheet tomorrow.
“We’re not concerned at the talk of failure, because we have a lot of enthusiasm, are in the Round of 16, so we want to go on to the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final.
“Anyone at Juve is accustomed to feeling the pressure of the media and it makes no difference. We need great enthusiasm and an electric atmosphere to experience a magical Champions League night.
“All of us within us thought at least once every day about this game. We did our duty in the other matches, but a thought before bed was always there.
“Tomorrow we need to go out there and do it, to want it more than them, and I feel those will be decisive elements.
“We have great respect for a solid team and we know their quality, but we all want to continue this adventure.
“We know it won’t be easy, because we’re not mad, but we are also not going to assume we’re done for. If we get past this obstacle, that could give us a real boost for the final months.
“In modern football, a moment can change anything and boost enthusiasm on one side or tear down the confidence of the other.
“We’re not in our best moment, but it’s not disastrous either.”
