Anelka: Juventus have what it takes to win the Champions League

Feb 8, 2013 12:55:00 PM

The Bianconeri's loan recruit is optimistic about his side's chances in Europe ahead of their round of 16 tie

Nicolas Anelka is confident that Juventus have what it takes to go all the way in the Champions League ahead of their last 16 tie against Celtic.

The Serie A champions impressed in the group stages as they finished ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk, Chelsea and Nordsjaelland to book their ticket for the knockout stages, and Anelka believes they are among the favourites to win the competition.

"One of the reasons I joined Juventus is because I believe we have the quality to win the Champions League this season," the Frenchman told Daily Record.

"It’s been nearly 13 years since I won the Champions League with Real Madrid and it is a dream to add one more before I stop playing.

"From my first training session with Juventus it was clear they have the quality of players and determination required to win the competition.

"For players you are aware of the pressure of being favourites and have to try to ignore it."

Anelka arrived at Juventus Stadium from Shanghai Shenhua in January, on a loan deal until the end of the season with a view to a permanent switch to Turin.

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Champions League final - LIVE!

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

8:31 PM BST

WEIDENFELLER SAVES WITH HIS FACE! Robben gets in on goal again, this time after Hummels fails to deal with a long ball over the top. The Dutch winger lets rip but Weidenfeller gets his mush in the way and the ball flies away to safety. The Dortmund shot-stopper knew little about that but, you have to say, both goalkeepers have done wonderfully well thus far to keep this one scoreless.

8:28 PM BST

Right, let's check in with Dortmund fan Stefan Dorin, who, unsurprisingly, is loving the fact that Jurgen Klopp's men have given their massive travelling contingent plenty to shout about in the opening 40 minutes.

"Great game! Borussia clearly is clearly dominating the match and, of course, the stands. But it's a shame that the score is still 0-0. But it's good to see our team standing up to Bayern again, especially in midfield. The tension is immense, though!"

8:23 PM BST

This one is really warming up now, with both Robben and Lewandowski having been denied in their respective one-on-ones with Weidenfeller and Neuer. Ladies and gentleman, I'm growing increasingly confident we might have a classic on our hands. Now, all we need is a goal ...

8:20 PM BST

Mario Balotelli might not be involved tonight but you can't keep an incredibly loud man down/quiet, and he's taken to Twitter to voice his support for Dortmund, who of course played their part in dumping the forward's former club Manchester City out of this season's group stages.

8:17 PM BST

BAYERN HAVE WOKEN UP! After sleepwalking their way through the opening quarter of this game, Bayern arise from their slumber to draw a stunning save out of Weidenfeller, who somehow managed to get his fingertips on a fine header from Mandzukic and tip the ball over the bar. Seconds later, Javi Martinez nods just over from the resulting corner. Bayern literally arrived 20 minutes after Dortmund - and it's been the exact same story in terms of the game.

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