Turin: Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has named outsiders Leicester City as the team he wants to avoid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are among the sides in the last eight yet it is the debutants and Premier League champions who worries the 38-year-old goalkeeper the most.
“Who do I prefer not to play? Leicester, because they are a dangerous and passionate team who can cause trouble for opponents who take the initiative,” said Buffon after his team beat Porto 1-0 Tuesday to complete a 3-0 aggregate win.
“Against them, we would have everything to lose.” Leicester reached the last eight with a 2-0 victory over Sevilla to go through 3-2 on aggregate.
Forward Paulo Dybala, who scored Juve’s goal with a penalty, said he would like a rematch with Barcelona in the showpiece match if the Serie A side get to the final again.
“With the squad we’ve got, we can’t think about not getting to the final,” said the Argentine. “I’d pick Barcelona to repay the bill from two years ago,” he added, referring to Juve’s 3-1 defeat.
Scoring more goals and shoring up in defence will be key if Juve are to avoid another Champions League quarter-final exit, coach Massimiliano Allegri said.
“In the Champions League we are scoring less goals on average than other sides with respect to the number of chances we create,” said the 49-year-old Italian, who has reportedly held talks with Premier League giants Arsenal.
“In defence, we also have to improve. In the second half, despite our numerical advantage, we did the opposite of what we did in Porto.
“In these situations you either up the rhythm and pressure and attack, or you sit back and pass the ball around till it gets boring for everybody.
“We didn’t do either. We were very good in the first half, but less so in the second. Thankfully, we had our last eight ticket practically assured, but we’ll have to work on this for the future.”
Allegri added: “We have to be very good over our next two games if we’re to make it all the way to the final. Although a little bit of luck would help as well,” he said.
As Nuno looks ahead to an improved campaign with Porto next time around, the Portuguese coach gave Allegri, and Juventus, his backing when he said: “Allegri has done a great job, Juventus are one of the best sides in Europe. For me they’re among the top four or five.”
Allegri added: “We’ll have to wait and see who we get in the draw, but from here on in all the games get difficult.”
It may be difficult to keep Allegri but Juventus have urged him to see out the remainder of his contract despite the strong Arsenal links.
Allegri’s contract with Juve ends in June 2018 and recently he has sent mixed messages about his future.
“We are very happy with Allegri,” Juventus director Beppe Marotta told Mediaset Premium minutes before Juve hosted Porto.
“It seems wise for a club to continue working with a coach who has shown that he can lead the dressing room, as well as being a top tactician and a great professional.”
