Juventus Walk the Tightrope
Monday 6th November 2000
Carlo Ancelotti's Juventus play Panathinaikos in Athens on Wednesday in group E of the Champions' League in a match where only victory will suffice.
Deportivo La Coruna have already qualified for the second phase of the competition but the runners-up spot place is up for grabs and Juventus, Panathinaikos and Hamburg can all still qualify.
"We will have to fight hard in Athens but we will also need to use our heads and be patient to try and get the result," said Ancelotti, who stressed that a defeat won't mean he will resign.
"I don't care about rumours," he said, in response to the stories that he may quit if his side loses. "I will stay in Turin no matter what as I want to remain with Juventus as long as possible."
"If we go are knocked out from the Champions' League, it will be a big disappointment but not a total failure. I didn't want to be in this positiion going to Athens but we were all guilty for the 3-1 away defeat to Hamburg."
"We have to win and I am sure that we will and I don't think
Panathinaikos' fans can influence the match too much. I am not afraid of going to Athens."
The Turin side's 2-0 away victory over Reggina at the weekend will have been just the tonic the team needs going to Athens, where the crowd never makes life easy for the opponents.
Ancelotti has a selection conundrum ahead of the encounter as he is unsure which striker to play up front with Filippo Inzaghi.
The Yugoslav Darko Kovacevic has always proved decisive in Europe but on Sunday, French striker David Trezeguet scored twice against Reggina and put himself in contention for a starting place.
There are less problems in defence, where Ancelotti can play the Uruguayan Paolo Montero, who has recovered from injury, for the first time in months.
For Panathinaikos, Portuguese record signing Paulo Sousa is back in the starting 11 after injury and disputes with club coach Angelos Anastasiadis. He played 70 minutes in the 2-0 home win over Paniliakos at the weekend.
The two-time Champions' League winner showed encouraging form in the triumph, setting up the first goal.
Anastasiadis has a familiar selection headache in attack where veteran Polish striker Krzysztof Warzycha is pushing for a recall after scoring both goals on Sunday when he came on in the second half.
The 37-year-old has moved to third place in the all-time scoring records in Greece and looks set to start in the place of former Valencia forward Goran Vlaovic.
Vlaovic spurned a hatful of chances on Sunday and has yet to settle at PAO despite an increasing amount of time on the field.
Greek international attacker Nikos Liberopoulos will captain the side as he looks to break a European goal drought stretching back to the qualifying rounds of the tournament.
The Juventus match is the first leg of a momentous doubleheader that will conclude with a weekend clash against bitter city rivals Olympiakos that could be decisive in the title race.
The Athens team's only absence is goalkeeper Costas Halkias, who injured his shoulder in the club's 1-0 defeat away to Deportivo. Greece regular Antonis Nikopolidis, who started the season as number one, will deputise.
Club officials are expecting a full house with over 60,000 tickets already sold. The police have agreed to open up additional gates in a relaxation of security measures and some are predicting a record attendance at the 73,000 capacity Olympic Stadium.
Juventus are expected to bring 300 supporters with them from Italy.
