Alonso wary of Juventus threat in 'classic of European football'
Juventus have struggled in recent weeks, failing to win any of their last six, but Xabi Alonso refused to underestimate the Bianconeri.
Xabi Alonso remained adamant that his Real Madrid cannot underestimate the threat of Juventus ahead of their Champions League clash on Wednesday.
The Bianconeri have failed to win any of their last six matches in all competitions (D5 L1), including draws against Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal to start their Champions League campaign.
Juventus have won only one of their last 11 away matches in the Champions League (D5 L5), although four of their last five away games in the competition have ended in draws (L1).
Despite their recent form, Alonso believes Juventus will still pose a dangerous threat, especially in the form of Kenan Yildiz.
The 20-year-old was in the Bayern Munich youth set-up while Alonso was a player at the Bundesliga club.
"It's a classic of European football; these two teams have met many times," said Alonso.
"We are very prepared. I've seen a team with the desire to win. We play at home, and we know people go to the Bernabeu with the desire to watch a big game.
"We're alert. Any Italian team that is struggling can be dangerous. We must not forget history.
"Juventus are a great team, both from the past and in the present. They have very good players, and Yildiz is one of them.
"He's had fantastic growth. I know him; he was at Bayern when I was there. Seeing his progress makes me very happy.
"Tactically, Juventus are a very rich team. They change position a lot and rotate consistently.
"If you are not well-organised, they're capable of breaking your balance. In that aspect, we have to be solid, and with the ball, we need to be vertical and take the game where we want it to go."
