Juventus and Bayern Munich will be featured in the most anticipated match of the Champions league quarterfinals.
The German giants struggled through the group stage and won the top spot thanks to their record against second place Valencia; both teams topped the group with 13 points. They clobbered Arsenal 3-1 on the road, but fell 2-0 at home; their three away goals ultimately proved to be the difference. Despite making a run to the final last year and dominating the German Bundesliga, this Munich team has proven to have weakness.
They will face arguably the top team in the entire tournament. Juventus has not lost a single game in the Champions league and has not conceded a single goal in the last five matches.
Despite Juventus' quality the German side seems unfazed. "There is no fear of Juventus," said Munich midfielder Thomas Müller told Tages Zeitung. "The Italians will be a tricky opponent, but we are not in awe of them.
"Andrea Pirlo, Gigi Buffon, Claudio Marchisio and Mirko Vucinic are excellent, but we too have players with great quality," he added. "We should also not forget that we have done very well in recent games against them."
Coach Matthias Sammer should be confident in his side's chances, especially after destroying Hamburg 9-2 over the weekend. However, the 45-year old was disappointed that his team gave up to late goals. "This should not happen to us if possible," he said during an interview with Bild. "We have to get a clean sheet against Juve. In recent weeks we have shown we are human. I can understand that. But now we want to be machines."
Despite the German side's bold words, the Italians look equally confident. "I don't think they'll be happy to face us, meaning we're respected and possess a certain fear factor." However, it will be tough to try and win it," said Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon.
"We're going to Munich with no fear and a lot of confidence. We'll be up against a strong Bayern side, but we believe in this dream," added Juventus coach Antonio Conte.
Prediction: The two sides battle to a 0-0 draw.
Start Time: 2:45 PM EST
TV: MSG Plus
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