Juventus will face holders Real
Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals after being pitched
against the Spanish giants in Friday's draw at UEFA's Nyon
headquarters.
The Italian champions ground out a 0-0 draw in Monaco on
Wednesday to reach the Champions League last four for the first
time in 12 years, prevailing 1-0 on aggregate after winning the
first leg of the quarterfinal.
The Turin side are the first Italian team to reach the
semis since Inter Milan's successful Champions League campaign
in 2010.
The twice European champions will face the winner of the
other semi between Bayern Munich and Barcelona at the
Olympiastadion in Berlin on June 6 if they see off Real.
Juve will host the first leg of the semi on May 5, with
the return in the Spanish capital on May 13.
"We are very happy to be in a semi-final after 12 years. I
played against Madrid last time," said Juve Director Pavel
Nedved, referring to Juve's 4-3 aggregate semi-final win in
2002-03 before defeat to AC Milan on penalties in the final.
"It will be a very exciting semi-final.
"This Juve team is competitive. We know that Real have
monster players. But this semi-final should be tackled without
fear".
Juve are in the running for a treble, as they are on
course for a fourth consecutive Serie A title, leading by 15
points with seven games to play, and they will face Lazio in the
final of the Italian Cup.
In the continent's secondary competition Napoli will face
Ukraine side Dnipro in the Europa League semi-finals, while
Fiorentina were pitched against Spanish holders Sevilla.
Napoli, who knocked out German side Wolfsburg 6-3 on
aggregate, will play the first leg at home on May 7, with the
return in Ukraine on May 14.
Fiorentina, who beat Dynamo Kiev 3-1 on aggregate, will
face Sevilla in Spain on May 7 and have the return at home a
week later.
As the two Serie A teams were not drawn against each other
means that an all-Italian final is a possibility.
The fact that three Italian teams are in the semi-finals
of the European competitions for the first time in 12 years is
being hailed as a sign that the game here is coming back, after
the recent struggles of Serie A sides and the national team.
The only other nation will as many teams in the semis is
Spain, while German has just one team and the much-vaunted
English Premier League has no representatives.
"Italian soccer is once again a lead player in Europe,"
Italian Soccer Federation President Carlo Tavecchio told ANSA.
"I pay my compliments to Juve, Fiorentina and Napoli. I
hope their gripping runs continue".
Juve and Real's most recent meeting was in last season's
Champions League group stage - a 2-2 draw at the Juventus
Stadium after the Spaniards prevailed in Madrid in the other
match 2-1 with a Cristiano Ronaldo double.
The two sides' most famous head-to-head was the 1998
Champions League final in Amsterdam, when Predreg Mijatovic
scored the only goal to give Madrid their seventh European
title.
The tie will also pitch Juve against their former coach
Carlo Ancelotti.
"Reigning champions, an enormous demanding stadium and one
of Europe's most successful managers," Juve coach Massimiliano
Allegri posted on his Twitter account.
"But they'll be eleven (on the field) like us, won't
they".
Juve are hoping to have France midfielder Paul Pogba,
arguably their best player, back from a hamstring injury for the
second leg of the semi.
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