What's the story?
Speaking on Juventus TV, Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that the Bianconerri are willing to do everything they can to overturn the Atletico Madrid 2-0 deficit from the first leg and progress into the next round of the UEFA Champions League.
In case you didn't know..
Juventus signed Cristiano Ronaldo last summer in a bid to secure their third European title. Ronaldo, who himself has won the UCL for a record five times, was the only obstruction in Juve's path to glory last season. Also, in the 2017 Final in Cardiff, the Portuguese struck a brace against the Serie A outfit as Real Madrid lifted their second consecutive title.
In what was one of the most shocking fixtures in the UCL this season, Juventus failed to score in the Spanish capital as Diego Simeone's men scored two goals past Juventus' defense to claim a comfortable two-goal advantage over the Italian giants.
While the Bianconeri are yet to taste a defeat in Serie A, they've already lost thrice in the Champions League. After losing two games in the group stages against Young Boys and Manchester United, the two-time European champions still managed to top the Group H.
Late goals from Uruguayan defenders, Jose Maria Gimenez, and Diego Godin, saw Atletico Madrid beat Juventus in the first leg of the round of 16 clashes.
The heart of the matter
Talking about the huge fixture that is up ahead, Cristiano Ronaldo said:
“The team is confident of playing a great game and I am too,” Ronaldo added. “We are ready to experience a special night, both on the field and in the stands."
"Everyone knows that they are a strong team, they defend very well, they don't take a lot of risks and they play on the counter-attack, but we are ready, and we will do everything we can to beat them.
“The fine details will make the difference, and we want to win and qualify for the quarter-finals.
“Football is like this, we didn't expect to lose the first leg 2-0, but anything can happen, and we want to give a great response in our home, in front of our fans.”
What's next?
Ronaldo and co. will take on Atletico Madrid at the Allianz Stadium with a view of overturning the first leg deficit; something Ronaldo has done during his tenure with Real Madrid on several occasions.