Football
ESPN staff 9y

Massimiliano Allegri: We targeted Isco and James to get Madrid win

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri revealed after his side beat Read Madrid to claim a place in the Champions League final that he told his players to "have courage" and target Isco and James Rodriguez in the centre of midfield.

Allegri's men managed a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu after a 2-1 first leg victory in Turin to claim a 3-2 win on aggregate, despite many favouring the Spanish giants.

It has been quite a season for Juventus, as they have already won the Scudetto, reached the Coppa Italia final and are now in their first Champions League final for 12 years.

"I knew the game would go like this tonight," Allegri told Sport Mediaset. "I told the lads they needed courage and to play well technically.

"I think it is also important for Italian football that one of our teams is back in the Champions League final.

"Isco and Rodriguez aren't particularly strong defensively, so I told my players: the more we push them towards their own goal, the better."

Because the Champions League final is on June 6, the Coppa Italia final with Lazio now moves from June 7 to May 20, and Allegri is keen to add both to his resume.

"I have an extraordinary group of players. It was an impressive semifinal with chances for both sides, though we should've done more with our opportunities in the first half," he added. "We have earned our place in the final and now that we're there we hope to do well!

"In the second half they had two or three clear chances, as did we, so I cannot say anything to the team for what they did tonight and throughout the whole year.

"We're also in the Coppa Italia final and we have to prepare for that too, as it is an important objective."

Barcelona are heavy favourites for the Berlin final after they hammered Bayern Munich, butĀ Allegri insisted he was confident of causing an upset.

"Barcelona are an almost impossible side to play against, but it's one thing to face them over two legs and another in a one-off match. Anything can happen there," he said.

"We are in good physical shape, they have a stratospheric front three and we go to Berlin convinced we can bring home the trophy."

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