Anxious Alves on revenge mission
MILAN, Italy — Dani Alves is known for standing up for his beliefs, and Juventus will expect nothing less from its rightback when it hosts his former club Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
A month after spectacularly overturning a 4-0 first-leg loss to Paris Saint-Germain to prevail 6-5 on aggregate, Barcelona’s European dream is very much alive ahead of the first leg in Turin.
On Saturday, Bar ca slumped to a 2-0 La Liga loss at Malaga, where Neymar earned a rare red card.
However, Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri, who saw Alves get his hands on the 2015 trophy when Barca beat Juve 3-1 in the final, believes the defeat was a blip “not worth taking into consideration”.
“For me, it’s still the same Barcelona. When you have players like (Lionel) Messi, (Andres) Iniesta, (Luis) Suarez, and Neymar, you don’t mess up games very often.”
Allegri has called for a “fearless approach” as Juve looks for a first-leg advantage, writing on Twitter: “Calm, fearless and knowing what we’re all about: coming next from Juve, a game that will leave all our fans in high spirits.”
Long-time Barca servant Alves possesses the pedigree to fulfill that prophecy.
With a total of nine winners’ medals, he became the second-most decorated player in European competition, behind retired AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini, during an impressive eight-season career at Camp Nou.
Before joining Barcelona in 2008, Alves helped Sevilla to successive UEFA Cup wins in 2006 and 2007.
With Barcelona, he added six La Liga titles, four Spanish Cups, three Champions Leagues,three Club World Cups to his impressive haul.
Alves, though, is bitter about how time at Barca ended, claiming he was used as a pawn by a “false and ungrateful” board.
He took revenge by signing a renewal with a clause that allowed him to leave the club for free.
“I like to be where I am wanted, and if I am not wanted then I’ll leave,” Alves said.
“Leaving on a free (transfer) from Barcelona was a classy stitch-up. Over my last three seasons I always heard that Alves was leaving, although the directors never said anything to my face. They were very false and ungrateful.”
It is not the first time Alves has raged against his employers. He was furious when Se villa refused an over-the-askingprice offer of $36 million for his services from Chelsea in 2007.
“In the four-and-a-half years I have been here I have given everything and I want more respect,” said Alves.
But just as Sevilla’s loss was Barcelona’s gain, Juventus is now reaping the benefits of a player still considered one of the best offense-minded defenders of his generation.
Alves is likely to be one of just two changes from the Barca side that started the final against Juve two years ago.
With Sergio Busquets suspended, Javier Mascherano is expected to play as a holding midfielder. Gerard Pique and Ivan Rakitic return from suspension, while Andres Iniesta will also start after sitting out the Malaga loss last weekend.