Carlos Tevez not envious of Ronaldo

Struggling Juventus looking for a win

Carlos Tevez says he does not envy Cristiano Ronaldo in the slightest, and is hopeful that the Portugal international will be on the losing side when Juventus host Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

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Ronaldo is in the better position of the two to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition with Madrid, while he has also scored 57 goals in 95 Champions League appearances.
Tevez, in contrast, has not scored in Europe’s elite club competition since April 7, 2009 -- totalling just six in 30 appearances.

Nevertheless, the Argentina international claims he would not swap places -- or records -- with his former Manchester United teammate even if asked politely.

“I’ve nothing to be envious about,” Tevez told a news conference in Turin. “Ronaldo is a phenomenal player, but I don’t envy him. Sure we’ve got to find a way of stopping him because he’s a great player and we all know his potential, but tomorrow is like a final to us and we want three points.

GettyImagesCarlos Tevez played with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United.

“Let’s hope my record [of not scoring] changes tomorrow. I really hadn’t realised it had been so long.”
After two draws and a defeat in the Champions League group stage, the Bianconeri’s qualification hopes are hanging in the balance.
And Tuesday night’s clash at the Juventus Stadium is regarded as pivotal for the club’s hopes of progressing, according to coach Antonio Conte.\4

“Definitely, it’s a fundamental game and important for our future in the Champions League,” he said. “We’ve got to show on the field, as we did in Madrid, that we deserve to go through, otherwise we will be the first to kneel down and applaud those who make it through instead of us.”

Juve had to wait until matchday four before registering their first win in last year’s Champions League, and the late starters will be looking to follow suit this time around.

“We’re facing a side who are one of the biggest favourites to win this competition for a tenth time,” Conte said. “They have an extraordinary attack. I defined them devastating, especially if they are allowed to play the game they prefer.

“Cristiano Ronaldo, [Gareth] Bale, [Karim] Benzema,  [Angel] Di Maria, to say but a few, are extraordinary, fantastic when they have the field in front of them and room to exploit.

“We’ve got to be careful and do what we did in Madrid, trying to avoid the mistakes we made there, and try to hurt them, but we know we’re up against an extraordinarily strong attack.”

The Juve fans can play their part, but according to Tevez, it will be up to him and his teammates to make the real difference.

“The fans will get behind us all the time, and we’re at the Juventus Stadium and the fans are a great help to us, but they aren’t out there playing,” he said. “On the field, it’s up to us players.”