UEFA Champions League news: Juventus have Ronaldo but we believe we can continue making history, says Ajax defender
What's the story?
Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico believes that his side is capable of overcoming Juventus despite the presence of "great players" like Cristiano Ronaldo, demonstrated by their ability to show up in big games such as their Round of 16 fixture against Real Madrid.
In case you didn't know...
Ajax is set to play host to Juventus later this week in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final fixture. The Dutch outfit pulled off an incredible comeback against Los Blancos in the last-16 stage by overcoming their first-leg deficit and eliminating the defending champions from the elite competition.
Juventus also registered a similar comeback after they suffered a two-goal deficit to Atletico Madrid in the first leg. Ronaldo, who promised to secure a place for the Italians in the next stage of the competition, scored a phenomenal hat-trick to eliminate the Spanish giants and help the Serie A leaders to a quarter-finals spot.
The heart of the matter
Tagliafico has acknowledged the presence of Ronaldo in the opposition team but maintains that Ajax will continue to play with the same determination they had against Real Madrid. The 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?
You can catch the much-awaited quarter-final clash between the two clubs on April 10.