Ajax star sends warning to Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus ahead of Champions League clash
What's the story?
Ajax left back, Nicolas Tagliafico, sent warning to Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo, stating that the Dutch side are fearless ahead of their crucial Champions League clash against the Bianconeri.
In case you didn't know...
Tagliafico joined Ajax last January and has been a consistent performer for the Dutch side since then. The Argentine endured a tough World Cup but played a pivotal role in Ajax's sensational run this campaign, both in Netherlands and in Europe.
Ajax shocked the world when they knocked out Real Madrid, who won the Champions League consecutively for the last three seasons, in the Round of 16.
The Dutch side are also top of the league in Netherlands, level with second placed PSV on points.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo joined from Real Madrid to Juventus last summer and has taken Italian top flight by storm since his arrival.
Despite a rare slow start in the Champions League this season, the Portuguese talisman singlehandedly took the Bianconeri to the Quarter Finals with a hat-trick in the second leg against Atletico Madrid, after losing 2-0 in the first round.
The heart of the matter
Despite facing an uphill battle, Tagliafico is confident that Ajax will play the same, fearless way which knocked out Los Blancos.
In an interview, the Argentine defender said,
"We will have the same determination that we had against Real Madrid, this time against Juventus. We know it’s really tough, they are a great team and, on top of that, they have great players like Cristiano Ronaldo."
"With our tools, now well-known by everybody, we can play without fear again to get another big result against Juventus."
"We are fearless. We went to Madrid determined to enjoy ourselves. It was our best game we’ve played this year. It was perfect. The first game was almost perfect even though the result was not good but the second game was amazing. Just amazing."
"Now, against Juventus, we need another perfect game, but why not? I think it was one of the best moments in the last decades for Ajax. We have to make the most of it, enjoy it because I believe we can carry on making history.”
What's next?
The four time Champions League winner will face Juventus next in the Quarter Finals.