Man United Confident Before Juventus Showdown
Copyright � 1999 Nando Media
Copyright � 1999 Agence France-Presse
MANCHESTER (April 6, 1999 11:37 a.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Confidence amongst the Manchester United players in the run up to Wednesday night's Champions League duel against Juventus is sky high insists captain Roy Keane.
United are in excellent shape going into the semifinal first leg against the Italian giants at Old Trafford.
Alex Ferguson's treble-chasers remain top of the Premiership, have topped 100 goals for the season and have not lost for three-and-a-half months.
Add Jaap Stam's return from his ankle injury and Ryan Giggs' recovery from his hamstring problem, and things could hardly be better.
United have already put Inter Milan to the sword in the quarterfinals and now they believe they can account for another Italian team in the semis.
"The feeling among the players is great and the confidence is sky high," said Keane. "We've been on a great run since Christmas and we haven't lost a game this year.
"We were a bit disappointed to draw 1-1 with Wimbledon on Saturday, but you can't have everything your own way.
"We'll prepare for this game slightly differently than we did for Wimbledon but we will treat Juventus with total respect as we did for Wimbledon.
"Make no mistake the boys will definitely be up for this one.
"It should definitely be a night to remember, and European nights at Old Trafford are brilliant.
"The fans were brilliant for Inter Milan, and I'm sure the atmosphere will be the same, if not better this time."
Keane missed last season's two clashes with Juventus, including United's epic 3-2 victory at Old Trafford, because of his cruciate ligament injury.
He was disappointed to miss those and is keyed up for their semifinal. "The 3-2 last season was the
Wednesday after I snapped my cruciate ligaments against Leeds so I missed the two games," he said.
"I'm really looking forward to the challenge of playing against Juventus this time."
Juventus, who have appeared in the last three Champions' League finals, are not the force they were when United played them in 1996 and 1997.
They are well off the pace in the Serie A title race and have scraped their way through to the Champions' League semi-finals with two wins from their eight games.
However, like United, they are unbeaten in this season's competition, and Keane is not writing them off.
"Compared to their own high standards, they have had a disappointing season," he said. "But they've made it to the semifinals of the European Cup, and we must respect them for that."
