Brazilian legend Zico insists Napoli can beat Real Madrid, but “the important thing is not to be afraid”.
The Partenopei face Real Madrid at the Bernabeu tomorrow in the Last 16 of the Champions League, and are hoping to pull off a shock against the holders.
“It will be a game in which anything can happen,” Zico told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Brazilian legend Zico insists Napoli can beat Real Madrid, but “the important thing is not to be afraid”.
The Partenopei face Real Madrid at the Bernabeu tomorrow in the Last 16 of the Champions League, and are hoping to pull off a shock against the holders.
“It will be a game in which anything can happen,” Zico told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I’ve seen a few of Napoli’s games, and you can see that they have a good Coach [Maurizio Sarri] because they play well, and I’d say they can cause an upset, putting pressure on Madrid with their speed.
“The important this is not be afraid, because that stadium is intimidating.
“And, of course, they can’t give space to the phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo. If you lose sight of him for a moment you’re ruined, because the Portuguese will punish you.”
Juventus return to Champions League action against Poro next week, can they go all the way?
“The Champions League is difficult for everyone, but Juve already came close two years ago when they reached the final.
“They’re the strongest in Italy, the one I like the most, because they’re the most consistent while Napoli have dropped too many points.
“Juve are impressive because they’ve changed so many players, but they keep winning. Before there was [Carlos] Tevez, [Paul] Pogba and [Arturo] Vidal; now they have [Gonzalo] Higuain, [Paulo] Dybala and [Mario] Mandzukic.
“That means the team has it’s history inside.”
Finally, the former Udinese man was asked about his compatriot Gabriel Barbosa, who is struggling at Inter.
“I know him well and he’s a great player,” Zico assured.
“He’s probably had some difficulty in adjusting to a tough League like the Italian one. He’s not as fast as Gabriel Jesus, but he’s scored for Santos and for the national team in the Olympics, and someone who scores a lot of goals never stops.
“I’m therefore convinced that he’ll be successful in Italy too, so Inter are doing well to wait for him without putting him under too much pressure.”