FC Porto defender Pepe knows Cristiano Ronaldo very well indeed, but ‘never actually played against him, so tomorrow will be special.’
The Champions League Round of 16 first leg tie kicks off in Oporto on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT.
“We hope to win, but also know that it’s going to be very difficult,” Pepe told the official UEFA website.
“Juventus are a team who can count on some great players, including the best in the world Cristiano Ronaldo, so it won’t be easy.
FC Porto defender Pepe knows Cristiano Ronaldo very well indeed, but ‘never actually played against him, so tomorrow will be special.’
The Champions League Round of 16 first leg tie kicks off in Oporto on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT.
“We hope to win, but also know that it’s going to be very difficult,” Pepe told the official UEFA website.
“Juventus are a team who can count on some great players, including the best in the world Cristiano Ronaldo, so it won’t be easy.
“We’ll give it our best and will try to follow the indications of our coach so that we can fight over the two legs to reach the next round.”
Pepe was teammates with Ronaldo both at Real Madrid and for the Portugal squad.
“It’ll be special to face him, as I’ve never actually played against Ronaldo throughout my career. I trained with him many times, though.
“It’s Porto against Juventus more than Pepe vs Ronaldo, though, and I hope we can beat Juve for the first time.”
The Portuguese club have a quite remarkable record in the Champions League this season, as after losing the opener 3-1 to Manchester City, they kept five consecutive clean sheets, for four victories and a draw.
“It’s a very good statistic and thanks to the hard work of everyone in the collective team. Keeping a clean sheet takes you a step closer to victory and Parma don’t often end games without finding the net.
“Therefore, if we can score and not concede, we could bring home the victory. That is our duty.”