Monaco last made a huge impact in the Champions League 10 years ago when they reached the final of the competition before eventually being beaten by FC Porto.
They are in a position to repeat those achievements as they are very close to reaching the semifinals this time around. Monaco will be up against Juventus in the quarter-finals. This is comparatively a much easier tie for the French club, as they have avoided the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona. Due to this respect, striker Dimitar Berbatov reckons that the club can start thinking about a semifinal spot this season.
Berbatov was initially signed as a backup for Radamel Falcao, who joined Manchester United in the summer on a loan deal. As a result, the former Tottenham and United striker has been starting regularly up front. Even though manager Leonardo Jardim has primarily made this team successful by building a strong defence, the goals from Berbatov have been very useful. The 34-year-old has not won the Champions League in his career, but he does have nine goals in 32 appearances this season. Only one of them has come in the European competition.
“The Champions League semifinal is within our reach.We can do it against Juventus. We’re a good team, we’ve already shown that both against Arsenal and a week ago in Turin. We absolutely did not deserve to lose. In the first half we should have had a penalty, if the referee had given it, it would have been a different game. Then in the second half we had a non-existent penalty given against us, but that’s football. We look forward with confidence and optimism, we’re preparing well for the comeback,” said Berbatov. The first leg will be away from home in Turin followed by the home leg on the return.