Juventus head coach Igor Tudor has shared the five key things his team must do to defeat Real Madrid in the Club World Cup Round of 16. He stressed that “courage, belief, hard work, and a little luck” will be crucial if Juventus are to pull off an upset.
The match takes place today in Miami at 3:00 PM local time (9:00 PM CET).
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Tudor encouraged his players to approach the match as an opportunity rather than a challenge.
“Facing Real Madrid isn’t ideal, but we must believe in ourselves. Everyone dreams of beating Real Madrid,” Tudor said.“We have to run a lot, avoid mistakes, believe, show courage, and yes have a bit of luck.”
Juventus qualified for this stage after finishing second in Group G. They secured wins over Al Ain and Wydad, but suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat to Manchester City.
There is a slight injury concern as Federico Gatti missed training on Monday. However, Tudor hinted that the defender could still be available for selection.
Tudor praised Real Madrid’s new manager, Xabi Alonso, for quickly implementing his playing style.
“I liked how Madrid played recently with quality and sacrifice. You can already see Xabi Alonso’s influence, similar to his time at Bayer Leverkusen. He’ll do great at Madrid.”
Tudor admitted that facing such a strong and experienced team is tough, but Juventus will give it their all.
The Juventus coach also spoke warmly about his fellow Croatian, Luka Modric, who is expected to start on the bench for Real Madrid. Modric is set to join AC Milan as a free agent after the tournament.
“A player like Modric is born once every 300 years in Croatia,” Tudor said.
“He’s an incredible player and an amazing person.
He’s a source of pride for all Croatians. I care about him a lot and hope he keeps playing and enjoying football — he’s only 40.”
Earlier, Tudor said Juventus needed at least three new signings to be competitive next season. But after the loss to Manchester City, he now believes even more reinforcements may be necessary.
“We’ll discuss that after the Club World Cup
