Spain’s Nacho Fernandez admits “I watch a lot” of Italy’s BBC back three and that Leonardo Bonucci is his favourite out of the trio.
Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini formed the basis for Juve’s dominance in Serie A and run to two Champions League Finals, as well as Italy reaching the Euro 2012 Final, although the former has since joined Milan, while the latter will not face Spain due to a calf problem.
Spain’s Nacho Fernandez admits “I watch a lot” of Italy’s BBC back three and that Leonardo Bonucci is his favourite out of the trio.
Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini formed the basis for Juve’s dominance in Serie A and run to two Champions League Finals, as well as Italy reaching the Euro 2012 Final, although the former has since joined Milan, while the latter will not face Spain due to a calf problem.
“Before the qualifiers started we knew that Saturday’s match would be absolutely vital,” the Real Madrid defender told FIFA.com.
“We want to book our place as soon as we can. We’ve still got some tough teams to face and a tricky away game or two, but a win will allow us to approach the matches we’ve got left in a calmer frame of mind.
“BBC? They’re a great three-man unit and I watch them a lot. Their positioning is perfect and they know how to get the team to keep its shape when it’s defending.
“I like watching games and I’ve seen a lot of Juventus and Italy this year. Barzagli and Chiellini know how to use their experience on the pitch, but my favourite of the three is Bonucci. He’s got a lot of qualities.
“We’re playing at home, in front of our fans, and at the Bernabeu too. It’s a big stadium and it should be full.
“We need to stay relaxed and control possession, which is our strong point. When you move the ball from one side to the other, you open up space, which is what we need to create if we’re going to make them suffer.
“We also need to be very focused at the back because they know how to hurt us on the counter and with high balls.
“We’ve been doing really well and we need to keep that going against Italy.”