Capello: "Real Madrid are stronger than Bayern and Barcelona"

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In an interview with 'Tuttosport', former Real Madrid and Juventus boss, Fabio Capello said that Real Madrid are "the strongest" of the four teams left in the Champions League.

The Italian described Pirlo as the "key player" in the tie between his two former teams.

Juventus were drawn against Real Madrid in the semis. When asked if the draw had been kind to Ancelotti and co., Capello said "absolutely not". "Given my past, I have a soft spot for Real Madrid. In any case, we're talking about a great team, on a par with Barcelona and Bayern. Of those three, Ancelotti’s team are the strongest and most complete team, especially at the back".

The Russian national coach thinks that "anything could happen" in the tie and that Pirlo could be the difference. “Juventus have plenty of world-class players. Tévez is an outstanding player, one of only a few true match-winners. They also have Pirlo. He's a real champion. I had some good players when I coached Juve, but none like him. He'll be key", he said.

"Juve can play against and beat anyone, even Real Madrid. The game in Italy is going to be crucial. They're playing at home and the golden rule is, don't concede at home. If you keep a clean sheet, you're more relaxed going into the second leg. Maybe it'll be Real Madrid who have to worry then", he added.

The Italian also had words of praise for Messi, whom he described as "a genius", up there with "Maradona and Pelé", and Pogba, whom he did not rule out playing for Los Blancos one day. "Pogba is a young, very complete player, one who is still growing. It'll be down to the club, but if they paid €100m for Bale...", he concluded.

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