Gonzalo Higuain

The Rojiblancos have only conceded 30 goals in La Liga this year but the Argentina international believes that the Merengues have to players to break Diego Simeone’s men down

Gonzalo Higuain says Atletico Madrid have obvious “weak points” that Real Madrid must exploit in order to win the Copa del Rey.

The two sides will meet at the Santiago Bernabeu on Friday, with los Blancos the overwhelming favourites to prevail on account of the fact that they have not been beaten by their city rivals in any competition since 1999.

Consequently, while los Colchoneros currently boast the best defence in La Liga, Higuain believes that free-scoring Madrid are set for more derby success.

“If Atletico have conceded fewer goals this season, it’s because they’re playing well,” the Argentine acknowledged during an interview with Bwin.

“But our idea is to look for their weak points, which they have. And I hope that’s reflected on Friday and we can take it.”

Some pundits are viewing the final as a direct shootout between Merengues hotshot Cristiano Ronaldo and Rojiblancos hitman Radamel Falcao, but Higuain does not see it that way.

“Of course they’re going to be important, but the key is for the team to be at its best, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” the forward explained.

“If we can do that, we have great possibilities of the Cup being ours.”

The touchline battle is also being talked up, with the always lively Jose Mourinho pitting his wits against the very passionate Diego Simeone, and Higuain has great respect for both men.

“They are great coaches,” he enthused. “So it is going to be an exciting match between two life-long rivals in the Madrid derby, and I hope the winner is our coach, because that means that we are going to win the game.”

However, Higuain dismissed the suggestion that the fact that the game is being played at Madrid’s home ground will give Mourinho’s men a massive advantage.

“I hope we can use that factor, but later it will be divided up half and half, so I don’t think it’s going to have an influence.”

The eagerly-awaited Copa derby kicks off at the Santiago Bernabeu at 21:30CET.

Mesut Ozil, Gonzalo Higuain, Raphael Varane and Fabio Conetrao ditched the traditional course equipment to try out an intriguing sporting concoction…

A selection of Real Madrid’s stars were let loose on a golf course, although the traditional selection of clubs, bags and balls were left behind in favour of footballs!

Mesut Ozil, Gonzalo Higuain, Raphael Varane and Fabio Coentrao let off some Liga steam by playing ‘football golf’ – check out the video for how this combination of the two sports works…

The ex-Bianconeri official wants the Turin club to sell Mirko Vucinic and has suggested that Alessandro Diamanti would be a great addition to their strikeforce

Former Juventus director Luciano Moggi has warned his former club against signing Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid and suggested that they consider selling Mirko Vucinic.

As Goal recently revealed, the Biaconeri have agreed terms “in principle” with Higuain, with the Argentine currently considering parting company with Real Madrid after six years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Moggi is set against the proposed deal, telling Radio Sportiva: “He’s good player but he has no a champion.”

Moggi also claimed that Juve can do without Vucinic, who has, for the most part, been the one constant in the Bianconeri attack this season.

“They have sold players given [Fernando] Llorente has already [effectively] arrived,” he argued, referring to the Spaniard’s summer move from Athletic Bilbao to Turin. “So they should continue to sell players that have been made redundant, maybe [even] Vucinic.”

Moggi believes that Juve will not have to look too far for replacements, arguing that they should bring in Italy international Alessandro Diamanti from Bologna and teenage sensation Domenico Berardi from Sassuolo.

“Diamanti has proven himself to be a player who decides games,” he enthused. “And also that he has the right DNA for Juve: he is a warrior.

“Obviously there is a need for a more competitive squad because the current players have been overworked.

“A publicly-listed football clubs must do be prudent, to comply with budgetary constraints and create value. But maybe [they should] take a young player like Berardi, just as they did with [midfielder Paul] Pogba.”

Moggi would also welcome the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with whom he enjoyed an excellent working relationship.

“Zlatan is the greatest guy in the world,” he enthused. “He never had a problem with me, partly because there was a very clear relationship between employer and employee.

“He’s a businesslike person. He adapts to the will of the employer on the assumption that they know how to handle things.”

Moggi parted company with Juventus in 2006 because of his involvement in the ‘Calciopoli‘ scandal.

The striker has set his sights on a move away from Madrid at the end of this season and Juventus are leading the race for his signature

EXCLUSIVE
By Romeo Agresti

Juventus are sitting in pole position to lure Gonzalo Higuain away from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window after reaching an agreement in principle with the Argentina international over a four-year deal worth €4.5 million per season plus bonuses.

The Serie A champions are keen to add a high-profile striker to their squad ahead of next season and had previously set their sights on Paris Saint-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

However, the Sweden international’s personal demands might prove to be too much for Juventus, prompting them to turn their attention to Higuain instead.

The 25-year-old is keen to leave Real Madrid this summer after a relatively disappointing 2012-13 campaign and general manager Jose Angel Sanchez admitted earlier this month that Higuain is likely to be on his way out.

Juventus are hopeful that an offer in the region of €25m will be enough to lure Higuain away from the Santiago Bernabeu side and have already been in touch with the striker’s representative to discuss his demands ahead of an official bid.

The former River Plate starlet has set his sights on an annual salary of €4.5m and Juventus are happy to meet his demands, Goal can reveal.

The Italian champions have already held a number of meetings with Madrid representatives in recent weeks and are ready to step up their interest ahead of the opening of the summer transfer window.

Higuain would also be open to a move to the Premier League, but none of the big teams from England have shown concrete interest in him so far.

The striker has a contract with Madrid until the summer of 2016.

The successful coach feels signing a top striker is not the way to close the gap with Europe’s elite and is looking to emulate Bayern Munich instead

Antonio Conte believes signing a high-profile attacker such as Gonzalo Higuain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Luis Suarez will not be enough for Juventus to challenge for the Champions League title.

The Serie A champions were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of European club football’s elite competition this season and some have blamed the lack of a top striker for their exit.

Conte, however, feels Juve should look at other options to close the gap with the continent’s best sides and feels the Turin giants should be looking to follow Bayern’s model.

“I can only laugh when I hear people say that Juventus can win the Champions League with two or three good signings. The reality is different. There’s a big gap with the top,” Conte was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Ibrahimovic, Suarez or Higuain? You cannot say no to players like that for the fans, so if it was up to me, I would take all three of them. Even that would not be enough to win the Champions League, though.

“We have to follow the model of Bayern Munich. These are the kind of things I discuss with the president and [general director] Giuseppe Marotta. We have to improve in all areas.

“I heard [Arjen] Robben say the other day that Bayern’s win was a team effort. He understands how it works. He’s a natural talent, just like [Franck] Ribery. Yet they both do their utmost for the team. A good organisation brings out the best of individual players.

“Either way, we have to show respect to the club and the players we have right now.”

Juventus were crowned Italian champions at the weekend for the second consecutive season following their 1-0 win over Palermo.