At just 23, and in a Juventus dressing room with players such as Gianluigi Buffon and Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala feels loved and important but, ahead of the Champions League clash with Barcelona, wants the comparisons with countryman Lionel Messi to stop.
The Bianconeri will look to the youngster for much of their attacking thrust and, if the game goes as he would like, he’ll finally be able to step out of La Pulga’s shadow.
As we approach the tie with Barcelona, how are you?
“Happy. After the injury and losing out on games with the national team, I had a good performance on Saturday. I played for 90 minutes which gave me confidence and put me in good shape for the Barcelona game. I think the match comes at the right time because we’re playing better than them.”
You look optimistic.
“We are in our best moment of the season. That’s what I see after eliminating Napoli in the Coppa Italia and having won against Chievo and Sampdoria in Serie A. Games like Barcelona are motivational for us.”
Juventus did their homework, unlike Barcelona who lost at Malaga and made winning LaLiga more complicated as a result.
“You have to make changes when you play in the league and then the Champions League straight after. Barcelona will absolutely want to recover from the defeat [against Malaga], but we’re a very strong team at home.”
In spite of that, is not it a little scary to pit yourself against a team that came back from 4-0 down?
“We shouldn’t be afraid of anything. Respect, yes, but not fear. This is the best time to confront Barcelona. They came back against Paris Saint-Germain, but PSG didn’t play that match as they should. The 6-1 serves as a lesson to everyone, and I say it before playing the first leg against them.”
Marca.com
