Iker Casillas expects Juventus to try and dominate tomorrow's Champions League semi-final, and denies injuries will be decisive.

The Spanish international’s side will this week continue the defence of last year’s title, conquered against a defensively minded Atletico Madrid.

However, in considering facing up to Juventus in the semi-final first leg in Turin, the goalkeeper expects the Bianconeri to take a different approach.

Iker Casillas expects Juventus to try and dominate tomorrow's Champions League semi-final, and denies injuries will be decisive.

The Spanish international’s side will this week continue the defence of last year’s title, conquered against a defensively minded Atletico Madrid.

However, in considering facing up to Juventus in the semi-final first leg in Turin, the goalkeeper expects the Bianconeri to take a different approach.

“I don't think tomorrow's game will be like the one against Atletico,” Casillas has told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Juventus in the Champions League and in their decisive matches have always done their utmost to dominate the game.

“That said, in a semi-final everyone walks into the pitch with the result in their minds. I'm expecting few goals and a high level of tension until the end.

“I don't think our performance in the respective championships will make any difference,” he said, in reference to the fact that Juventus had already won the Scudetto, while Madrid are trailing Barcelona.

“We need to give both competitions the necessary weight.

“La Liga is not in our hands, all we can do is keep on fighting. In the Champions League we are all at the same level.

“We depend on ourselves. If we do well, we can reach the final and play for the victory.

“Juventus will be missing [Paul] Pogba, we're short of [Luka] Modric and [Karim] Benzema. But we've done well even when we were short of some players.”

The 33-year-old was also asked whether his club- and international coaches, Carlo Ancelotti and Vicente del Bosque, resembled each other.

“They do, because they win, and they win important contests. They also have a similar way of handling their teams.

“They consider the group, they are not authoritarians and they do not impose themselves forcefully, though they're both capable of getting angry.

“Their leadership style is chilled, unlike others that are more bitter.”

Finally, Casillas was asked about Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's statement that victories become better when you're older.

“He's right. I won my first European cup when I was 18 and it didn't seem like much of an achievement.

“Now things are different. Every time you don't win, you think, 'oh dear, I've missed out on one more year to win something'. You know you can't go on forever.”

Byandrea

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector