2 Desperate Teams to Clash in Juventus, Bilbao
Copyright � 1998 Nando.net
Copyright � 1998 Reuters
TURIN, Italy (Nov 2, 1998 - 22:38 EST) - Juventus' dreams of a fourth straight European Champions League final could meet harsh reality on Wednesday night when it faces Athletic Bilbao.
Only a victory over the Basques will be good enough for Marcello Lippi's men if they are to stand any real chance of reaching the quarterfinals from Group B after three straight draws.
Juventus is languishing in third place behind Galatasaray (four points) and Rosenborg (five) and defeat or even a draw coul be fatal.
Not only will they have little chance of finishing on top but those draws will also give them scant chance of qualifying as one of the top two runnersup among the six groups.
Currently, only four of the 24 teams in this season's Champions League have fewer points on the board than Juventus.
Lippi admitted: "This match is fundamental for us."
The good news for Lippi is the champions' return to the top of the Serie A and the continuing form of striker Filippo Inzaghi, who scored both goals against Sampdoria on Sunday.
"We mustn't stop now that things have started to go so well for us," said Inzaghi, who has bagged five of the seven Juventus goals scored at the Delle Alpi this season in the Serie A and Champions League.
"We'll need the same determination we showed when we sorted out Inter Milan. That match was the turning point in our season, or at least we hope so. Now we'll have to be that fired-up again to beat Athletic Bilbao."
Inzaghi defended Juventus' record in Europe this season, saying: "The only false move we've really made so far was at home to Galatasaray -- in Trondheim and Bilbao we got two good draws.
"And in Spain, you could see that same old authority coming out in the second half. But even that performance won't be enough on Wednesday -- this match will be like a final: both of us are obliged to win.
"I just hope we recover in time physically: Athletic are full of fight and they never give up. We'll need to be ready for them."
Inzaghi will be partnering Alessandro Del Piero up front, supported by French World Cup star Zinedine Zidane.
The bad news for Lippi is that Zidane's skipper at France 98, Didier Deschamps, has twisted his ankle and will be out for three weeks -- probably until their game in Istanbul against Galatasaray on Nov. 25.
But if Juventus are is difficulty then the situation is little short of desperate for Bilbao. They at the bottom of the standings and last month's goalless draw with the Italian club earned them only their second point in the competition.
Their uninspiring season in Spain continued with a last-minute draw at home to Espanyol on Saturday that left Luis Fernandez's men mid-table.
Basque pride means that Athletic will not give up without a fight but Lippi's men may not get a better chance to collect three points.
