Thuram demands winning mentality

Lilian Thuram is in determined mood as Juventus approach the sizeable task of overturning Arsenal FC's imposing 2-0 advantage in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final, although he admits his side must be alert to the threat of Thierry Henry.

'No script'
"Winning is not impossible," the France defender said. "That's the nice thing about football - there is no script. Personally, I don't believe in miracles, yet I do believe we can win this match." It may not constitute a miracle but with Patrick Vieira, Mauro Camoranesi and Jonathan Zebina all suspended, Juventus will require inspiration from somewhere if they are to turn the tables on Arsenal.

Henry caution
Goals in each half from Cesc Fabregas and Henry gave the Premiership club a first-leg lead last week. The precocious Cesc won acclaim for his performance at the heart of Arsenal's midfield, but with Juventus needing to score in Turin, the biggest danger could come from Thuram's France team-mate. "We need to be very careful of Henry," he warned. "He's very good when he has space at his disposal so we must ensure we don't give him any."

Powerful bond
Thuram and Henry have forged a strong bond after playing together at AS Monaco FC before winning the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship with Les Bleus in 1998 and 2000. However, that kinship will be forgotten for 90 minutes at the Stadio Delle Alpi. "When you play, you don't think about friendship," Thuram continued. "We're all professionals and we must think of our own game."

Pragmatic approach
The 34-year-old's career has been marked by such pragmatism and asked what Arsenal scoring would mean to the Bianconeri's chances, his answer was simple: "If they score, we will have to pull off an even greater comeback. The outcome of football matches are never set in stone. It shouldn't be taken for granted that Arsenal are through - it's still not impossible for us to get the right result."

Determined attitude
This never-say-die attitude appears a requisite for Juventus, who came within two minutes of elimination in the first knockout round against Werder Bremen, before Emerson capitalised on a mistake by the visiting goalkeeper to send Fabio Capello's men through. Another great escape depends on "everyone being on form and with the right mentality, but sometimes it's difficult to harness collective purpose," said Thuram.

Del Piero encouragement
Ominously for Arsenal, early indications from the Juventus camp are that the team are singing from the same hymn sheet. Alessandro Del Piero, ruled out with a thigh injury, took Thuram to one side after training on Tuesday and said: "See you in the semi-final."