Zidane Real confident of finishing job

REAL MADRID midfielder Zinedine Zidane believes his side are in a much stronger position going into the second leg of their Champions League clash with Juventus than they were two years ago.

In the 2003 semi-final Real beat the Italians 2-1 in the first leg only to lose 3-1 in the return in Turin.

Tomorrow night the nine-times European champions go into the second leg holding a 1-0 advantage after the first game at the Bernabeu.

“We are in a better position this time round than two years ago, because Juve haven’t scored an away goal,” the Frenchman said yesterday.

“We will go there with the aim of scoring and that will make life difficult for them.

“They have to come out and attack and that is much better for us because the game will be more open. The important thing for us will be to match their strong start and to do that, we will have to be very alert.

“But if half an hour goes by and they don’t score then I’m convinced we will go on to score and win.”

The 32-year-old former Juventus player stressed that success in this year’s competition was a top priority for his side.

“For us and the fans the Champions (League) is very important. We won it three years ago and we want to win it again,” said Zidane, who scored in the 2-1 final victory against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002.

“We want to go through and we will do all we can to win it.”

Zidane has missed Real’s last two league games because of a groin injury, but insisted that he was fully recovered and ready to face his old side.

“I’m feeling fit. I’ve been out for 10 days, but I’ve worked well over the last four and I’m heading to Turin with all the enthusiasm in the world,” he said.

Real captain Raul and England striker Michael Owen were both back in full training after recovering from illness and were included in the squad for the trip to Turin.

The line-up in training suggested that Raul will partner Ronaldo in attack, while Owen will start on the bench.

England captain David Beckham also trained normally despite complaining of back pain after Real’s 1-1 draw at Valencia on Saturday.

Meanwhile Jurgen Milewski, the agent of Bayern Munich defender Robert Kovac, has confirmed that Italian giants Juventus are interested in poaching the Croatian international defender.

Juventus were impressed by Kovac, 30, during the two meetings with Bayern in the Champions League group phase and are prepared to put together a lucrative financial package with the player out of contract at the end of the season.

“There is an offer from Juventus on the table,” Milewski told Bild am Sonntag.

Bayern have offered Kovac a two-year extension at the Olympic Stadium but are unwilling to match his salary demands as they continue to cut the wage bill throughout the club.

Kovac cost Bayern €8.5 million from Bayer Leverkusen in 2001 and has been a permanent fixture in the team this season.