Lucescu: ‘Juventus will be protagonists’

Dynamo Kiev coach Mircea Lucescu is confident Juventus ‘will return to being protagonists in Italy and Europe’ ahead of their Champions League encounter.

It kicks off on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT, with Juve and Barcelona already sure of qualification into the Round of 16.

“Juventus could field two completely different starting XIs and still nothing would really change,” assured Lucescu in his press conference.

“Now they need a little time to consolidate Andrea Pirlo’s football ideas, but I am convinced they’ll find the solution soon and the quality of the players will emerge.

“Having said that, Cristiano Ronaldo’s mere presence fires up his teammates, which you get with all great champions. He gives the team confidence and that is fundamental right now.

“Antonio Conte’s Juve that started the run of Serie A titles was a great team, but now Juve can create a style of football that could win the Champions League. They have the players with experience, quality and physicality.

“They had problems, as did everyone this season, and playing without fans is not easy, but once they overcome this moment, Juve will return to being protagonists in Italy and in Europe.”

Lucescu is a very old friend of Serie A, as when he was the coach of Brescia, he gave current Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo his Serie A debut.

“Serie A still brings in top champions and is one of the most watched leagues in the world, at the same level as English and Spanish football.”

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