Juventus head to Monaco today for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final looking to clinch a place in the last four for the first time in over a decade
Patrice Evra takes part in a training session
Monaco: Juventus head to Monaco today for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final looking to clinch a place in the last four for the first time in over a decade.
Patrice Evra takes part in a training session
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An immovable force at the top of the European game in the 1990s, when they reached three consecutive finals, including beating Ajax in the 1996 showpiece, Juve were also Champions League runners-up in 2003, losing to AC Milan.
But they have not got beyond the Last 8 since, failing to translate their domestic dominance to the European stage.
Nevertheless, while they close in on a fourth consecutive Serie A crown, they are now primed to secure a spot in the semi-finals in Europe after Arturo Vidal's penalty gave them a 1-0 victory against the Principality club last Tuesday.
Unchartered territory
Crucially, Juventus did not concede an away goal in that game, meaning Monaco will now be obliged to come out and attack at home, something which is not their forte.
Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim has admitted his team are better suited to playing away from home, when they can hit teams on the break.
"I was not surprised by Monaco because we didn't underestimate them, but they played really well against us," Juve's veteran French international left-back Patrice Evra told Canal Plus.
"I think the second leg will be different and Juventus will have a greater control of the match. I was really proud of Monaco when they beat Arsenal because I saw them playing without fear. Some of the Monaco players say that they are better away from home because the stadiums and the atmosphere are different."
Monaco are third in Ligue 1 and have lost just one of their last 18 league games, but too many draws at the Stade Louis II, where the lack of atmosphere and crowds that rarely reach the 10,000 mark remove any sense of a home advantage, have held them back.
At least they can call on one of the tightest defences in Europe, although in midfield it remains to be seen whether captain Jeremy Toulalan (hamstring) and Geoffrey Kondogbia (ankle) will recover from injury in time to feature.
Further forward, Jardim must decide whether to select the experienced Dimitar Berbatov or the exciting Anthony Martial in attack, or go with both.
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