Tudor: “We can't come to the Bernabéu and speculate”
“Mbappé is the best player in the world," stated Khéphren Thuram.
Juventus coach Igor Tudor, and the Italian side's midfielder Khéphren Thuram, spoke to the press at the Bernabéu ahead of tomorrow's clash with Real Madrid on Champions League matchday three (Wednesday, 9:00 pm CEST). The coach explained: “I'm expecting a strong reaction from my team. Real Madrid is a team of great champions, they can score against you at any moment. I want us to leave everything out there on the pitch. It's easy to find that motivation here, and I'll think we'll put on a good performance tomorrow. I want to see a fine display by my team. We can't come to the Bernabéu and speculate.”
"Juventus always give it their all. We're a great side who are coming here to play against another great side. They're an illustrious team, a historic institution of European football. It's a beautiful game to be involved in. This is a challenge against top opposition and we have to approach it in the best possible way."
Mbappé
“We have to be focused on everyone, not just Mbappé. Of course, we're aware he's a crucial player for Real Madrid.”
The schedule
“The matches are what they are. The calendar is absolute madness. I don't know who's in charge of organising this Champions League schedule.”
Rumours of a possible sacking
“I don't read the newspapers. Not when I win, not when I lose. I don't spend any time thinking about it, I'm focused on my team and what I have to do better in order to help them improve. I try and enjoy it and do the best I can, despite all the difficulties."
Thuram: “We know we're up against a great team tomorrow”
“You can't play with fear. We're confident, we believe in ourselves and we just have to go out onto the pitch and win the game. We're not scared at all. We're going to play against one of the best teams in the world, but we're a good side too. We're confident we can get a good result.”
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Mbappé
“He's the best player in the world, if you look at what he's doing at the start of this season. He's having an unbelievable campaign, we all know what kind of player he is."
His team
“We've spoken, we had a little meeting because it was important for us to talk about what was going on. We know we have a good coach, and good players, it's just a case of working out what's happening and staying focused on improving every day."
Confidence in Tudor's work
“It's crystal clear. From the moment we walk out onto the pitch, we have to win. People love talking about the coach, but it's the players who make the decisions. We have absolute faith in our coach, he's always been very clear with us."