Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 9y

Pavel Nedved: Juventus must be wary of counter-attacking Monaco

Juventus director Pavel Nedved has said his side will have to wait and see whether a Champions League quarterfinal against Monaco was the tie they wanted after Friday's draw in Switzerland.

Principality club Monaco had been regarded by many pundits as the weakest team in the round-of-16 draw -- but they knocked Arsenal out on away goals.

They showed the danger they posted on the counter-attack when they defeated the Gunners 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium, and will again be away from home first when they face the runaway Serie A leaders.

Former Czech Republic star Nedved told Sky Sport Italia. "Let's just wait until afterwards to see. After beating Borussia, though, we'll give it a shot. We have a chance to go through and this is important for us.

"I saw both Monaco games [against Arsenal], and you don't get to the quarterfinals by fluke. They played two great games, even if they suffered a bit more in the second leg.

"They impressed me at the Emirates Stadium in London with a fantastic game. They are perhaps more dangerous away than at home, so we've got to be very careful."

Juventus are 14 points clear at the top of their domestic league, but Nedved warned players and fans against any complacency.

And he praised coach Massimiliano Allegri, saying he had "controlled the energy of the team and given them tranquility to play in Europe this way."

Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim, meanwhile, told UEFA's official website that his side faced a tough challenge to advance to the last four.

"Juventus are among the biggest sides. They are the favourites," he said. "We're lucky to have the second leg at home. We'll try to make the most of this quarterfinal."

Vice-president Vadim Vasilyev said: "Juve are of course favourites -- they are going to be Italian champions.

"We played them in 1998, and they knocked us out. Their display against Dortmund was exceptional.

"It's good, they're our neighbours. A lot of Italians live in Monaco, it's easy to go there. I hope we'll have a lot of fans. We are going to play with ambition, but without pressure."

Information from ESPN FC correspondent Ian Holyman was used in this report.

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