Conte Takes Aim At Bayern Munich

[Folami David]

Juventus coach Antonio Conte is expecting an improved performance from his players as they try to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinal.
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Juve were outclassed in Munich last week where a rampant Bayern claimed a 2-0 first-leg win to put them in a commanding position to qualify for the last four of Europe's premier club competition.
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On three previous occasions in the competition, the Serie A giants have failed to overturn a 2-0 first leg deficit.
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Should they concede a goal at home, they would need to win by three clear goals to make the semis.
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Bayern, who reached the final in two of the last three years, remain strong favourites to progress but Conte insisted his players are ready to produce the performance of their lives.
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"The mood in the camp is good, we're feeling positive but we're aware that we're facing a stong side that showed their potential in the first leg," said the 43- year-old.
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"But we're determined, we're looking forward to the match and above all to playing a different kind of match than we did last week.
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"The gap between us and Bayern is not what our performance from the first leg might suggest. My players and I know they can play a lot better than they did in Germany."
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David Alaba, who beat Juve 'keeper Gianluigi Buffon after just 25 seconds with a deflected shot, and Thomas Mueller sealed Bayern's first leg win although it could have been more such was the home side's dominance.
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Conte offered no explanation for their under-par performance at the Allianz Arena but admitted that when it comes to the Champions League, Bayern – four-times winners and beaten finalists in 2010 and 2012 – are streets ahead.
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"This year they're among the favourites to win the Champions League, and that is not by accident," added the coach.
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"They've been working for a number of years to raise their game for this competition and they now play at a very high level.
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"People who say it's easy to win this competition have never actually won it.
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"We've only really been concentrating on this for the past two years. Bayern are like a skyscraper and we're only a third of the way up.
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"But, by taking a few short cuts, we've managed to reach the quarterfinals."
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Giorgio Chiellini was one of the three Juve defenders given a torrid time by Bayern's incessant offensives in Munich.
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He said: "We want to finish this game knowing we've given absolutely everything."
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Earlier on Tuesday Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said Juve were "capable of making the impossible possible."
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Asked his opinion of that remark, Conte replied:
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"They're nice words. But we'll have to wait until the post-match press conference tomorrow to see whether Heynckes says, 'I told you so'."