Real Madrid will face Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals and Ancelotti believes the Spanish outfit will have to be at their best to beat the a legendarya club from Italy.
Real Madrid drew Juventus in the semi-final draw of the Champions League on Friday. This is the fifth consecutive semi-final for the Spanish giants and a win over two legs will mean that they will play the final for the second time in a row. If Real Madrid make it to the final, they will have the chance to be the first team to retain the Champions League trophy.
Real Madrid manager, Ancelotti, managed Juventus from 1999-2001 and he will be facing the Old Lady for a second time as Real Madrida s manager. The last time he faced Juventus was in the group stage of the 2013-14 Champions League, which the Italian went on to win. Over the two group-stage games last season, Real Madrid beat Juventus 2-1 in the home leg and the away leg ended in a 2-2 draw.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to Realmadrid.com after drawing Juventus and insisted that a Los Blancosa will have to be at their best to beat the Italian outfit.
He said: a At this stage of the competition, all of the sides are difficult. Juventus is a club that have a legendary history and it is returning to a semi-final after twelve years. They are having a very good season and have practically won the Italian league. That means they can focus more on the Champions League,
a We are confident that we can follow our dream, which is to reach another final after last year. We need Real Madrid to be at their best to win, we need the same side that played against Atletico, with the same enthusiasm and hope. We have a lot of confidence.”
The last time Real Madrid faced Juventus in a Champions League semi-final, they went on to lose 4-3 on aggregate. Back then, the Spanish giants were defending their status as European champions, which they will be doing again, this time around.