The former Italy coach has great respect for Pep Guardiola and his team but he believes that the Bianconeri can triumph Bavaria if they play with the right tactics and attitude
Cesare Prandelli does not have happy memories of facing Bayern Munich. In March 2010, his former Fiorentina side were cruelly dumped out of the Champions League by the Bavarians on away goals. What really hurt, though, was the fact that Bayern's winner in the first leg at the Allianz Arena should never have stood, with Miroslav Klose having earned the hosts a 2-1 victory from a blatantly offside position.
Prandelli, though, had been immensely proud of his players' performance over the two games and he feels that Juventus must play with a similar mix of intelligence and adventure in the second leg of their last-16 meeting with Bayern on Wednesday.
In an exclusive interview with Goal, the former Italy coach freely admits that the Italian champions face a daunting task, especially in light of the injury crisis that will deny the Italian champions the services of Paulo Dybala, Claudio Marchisio and Giorgio Chiellini, as they try to get the better of a brilliant Bayern side that claimed a 2-2 draw in Turin three weeks ago. However, Prandelli was impressed with the way in which Juve fought back from two goals down on the night and he says that they must be even more courageous at the Allianz Arena.
The 58-year-old adds, though, that it is imperative that Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri, who was accused of being too cautious in the first leg, has to get his gameplan spot on this time around, particularly as he is going up against a coach for whom he has the utmost respect.
Goal: Guardiola and Allegri are the two coaches: who is your favourite and why?
Prandelli: "Guardiola is an innovator, the founder of a school with his hierarchies and his tactical model of football. The Spaniard is a true initiator of a style of football made of intricate patterns and quick touches, a maestro that many try to imitate but with mixed results. Allegri is a coach of substance and prestige and gets the best out of his players and is currently doing great things at Juventus. It will be a beautiful duel of moves and counter-moves between the two."
Goal: Bayern Munich have the edge thanks to their away goals in Turin but can Juve still entertain hope of going through?
Prandelli: "The Germans are definitely favourites but I think that Juve has in its possession all of the weapons and the capabilities to play these 90 minutes without fear right until the end. To get a result that will carry them into the next round, Juventus will have to be loyal to their pre-game tactical plan and also need to have the kind of indominitable courage required to upset the Bavarian defence. And Juventus, with the technical players that they have and with the overlaps of their wing-backs, can create problems for the home side's rearguard."
Goal: What are Bayern's weaknesses and what will Juve have to do to exploit them?
Prandelli: "Pep Guardiola's side does not have many weak points. As we have seen from the first leg, though, the defence - without some key men - is not perfect. Juve must try to keep their concentration levels high in order to deal with their opponents' first wave of pressure and thus keep their shape. That will them to then counterattack with speed and precision. In this way, they can do a lot to hurt [winger Arjen] Robben and his team-mates."
Goal: In the future, would you prefer to coach a club or a national team?
Prandelli: "I will not hide the fact that I have recently received some offers from some federations to coach national teams, but I rejected them. In the future, I would like a club with a big project."
Goal: And that maybe that will allow you to once again experience the Champions League?
Prandelli: "Exactly. I would like to soon return to facing the biggest sides in Europe."
- Goal