Zidane ready for Juve 'final'

By Adrian Clarke

Real Madrid CF's UEFA Champions League tie with Italian giants Juventus FC would have been the perfect final according to Zinedine Zidane, who is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to beat his former club at the Santiago Bernabéu tonight.

Early date
The Madrid playmaker admits he was slightly disappointed to be paired with Juventus at such an early stage of the competition. "I'd have preferred to play against them in the final," Zidane told uefa.com. "It could have been 'the game' but it has to take place in the last 16 now instead.

Better chances
"It should still be great, though. And it could turn out to be a good thing too, because if we knock Juve out we'll have a better chance of winning the competition. This tie may be the most difficult obstacle we have to overcome if we want to reach the final, but we can do it."

Italian success
Zidane, 32, joined Juventus from French side FC Girondins de Bordeaux in 1996, and quickly established himself as one of Europe's best players during a successful five-year spell in Turin, which included two Italian titles and two Champions League runners-up medals.

Fabulous spell
He said: "I had some great years playing for Juventus and they will always be a club close to my heart, even though I am very, very happy at Madrid. It was a phase in my life where I grew up so much as a person and as a player. I met some great people in Turin and still have many friends from my time there.

'Complete form'
"It's hard to compare my life in Italy to the one I now have in Spain. They are totally different times. In Italy I was improving as a player and enjoyed some great times, but here in Madrid I have found the best and most complete form of my career."

Defensive frailties
Both teams approach the first leg in indifferent form. Juventus have seen a seven-point Serie A lead over rivals AC Milan wiped out in recent weeks, while Madrid are still reeling from a shock 2-0 defeat by Athletic Club Bilbao last weekend. And Zidane concedes that Madrid's defensive frailty is a concern.

Heroic performance
"Being at home we must attack, but it would be dangerous to forget defending, especially with players like [Alessandro] Del Piero, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovich and [Pavel] Nedved around," he said. "Our defence must produce two very strong performances if we are to go through. In fact, they will have to play like [Fernando] Hierro and [Manuel] Sanchís did against the Juventus team I played in, when Madrid won the Champions League final in 1998. That was a great defensive display and we might need the same again."

Confident Frenchman
On paper the tie promises to be a classic and whoever progresses to the quarter-finals will undoubtedly be among the leading contenders to lift the European Champion Clubs' Cup in Istanbul this May. And despite believing that Juve pose a major threat to their chances, Zidane remains confident that Madrid will reclaim the crown this year.

Good chance
He concluded: "I am sure Madrid are good enough to win the Champions League this season. We have a great deal of quality and when you look at the players we have, you have to say we are a very strong team. If we concentrate well in all of our games, we have a very good chance of winning the title."