Juventus defenders Danilo and Alex Sandro believe their former club Porto are a tough team to face and warn the Old Lady about one specific player of the Portuguese side.
Both defenders played for Porto between 2012 and 2015, when Alex Sandro joined Juventus and Danilo moved to Real Madrid.
The Brazilians are close friends and gave an interview to UEFA.com ahead of the Old Lady’s trip to Portugal in Champions League this week.
“I think we really grew up at Porto, as players and as men,” Danilo said.
Juventus defenders Danilo and Alex Sandro believe their former club Porto are a tough team to face and warn the Old Lady about one specific player of the Portuguese side.
Both defenders played for Porto between 2012 and 2015, when Alex Sandro joined Juventus and Danilo moved to Real Madrid.
The Brazilians are close friends and gave an interview to UEFA.com ahead of the Old Lady’s trip to Portugal in Champions League this week.
“I think we really grew up at Porto, as players and as men,” Danilo said.
“We have gone through great changes in our lives, moving to another nation and facing personal changes.
“We spent many afternoons and nights together during training and retreats. The funny thing is, even today, when we sit down to talk and discuss, we still talk about the same topics.
"I think that for culture and tradition, Porto are always a difficult team to face in this kind of games. When I played there, I remember my teammates and I were waiting for this kind of games with trepidation,” the former Manchester City defender continued.
“There was a special preparation for these games, so I expect a great challenge because I am sure that Sérgio [Conceição] will prepare the team to win and to move forward in the competition.”
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He is a top class footballer,” Alex Sandro claimed.
“But, as Danilo said, it’s Porto’s mentality that makes the difference. When we were there, we looked forward to these moments, especially in the Champions League, against the big clubs.
“Porto generally perform well at home against the big sides. Juventus, however, also know Porto well. I’m sure it won’t be easy, but we’re ready to go there and play a big game.
"I think Juventus players have grown a lot in terms of self-esteem, as have the fans,” Alex Sandro continued.
“Everyone has grown a lot since the beginning of the season. There have been so many changes and some negative results too.”
“I think it has been a positive season so far and we look to the future with optimism,” Danilo continued.
“We are still in the race to win all competitions. We won the group stage, finishing ahead of Barcelona, which is no small feat. We won 3-0 away and had a great performance,” the former Real Madrid man concluded.