Fabio Cannavaro:‘Napoli can beat Real Madrid’

Fabio Cannavaro believes Napoli can “cause problems” for Real Madrid, and discusses Juventus’ winning mentality.

The Partenopei face a trip to the Bernabeu in the Champions League Last 16, but the former centre-back feels they can have their say.

“It’s a game they can compete in, where Napoli will cause problems for Real Madrid,” Cannavaro told Tiki Taka.

“They can do that to anyone. They’ll try to play in the way they’re used to doing, even if the impact of the Bernabeu will be strong.

“Playing against [Karim] Benzema [Cristiano] Ronaldo or [Gareth] Bale isn’t something that happens in Italy.

“This year the Azzurri have a much more complete squad, and that’s good for both the League and the Champions Leauge.

“Both Juve and Napoli will do well.”

Cannavaro is a former Juventus player, and was also asked about their win over Inter in the Derby d’Italia.

“There’s a winning atmosphere inside Juventus. That’s why Juventus are used to winning the biggest matches.

“Do I cheer for them? When I watch matches I do it as a Coach, I don’t cheer I mostly focus on the technical side.

“If we’re talking about Juventus-Inter, I have more friends at Juventus than at Inter, but I wasn’t cheering for anyone.

“The few goals that they’ve conceded is thanks to the whole team, starting from the attackers. When you play against Juventus it’s difficult to find spaces.

“Obviously on an individual level it helps if you can count on players like [Leonardo] Bonucci, [Giorgio] Chiellini and [Gianluigi] Buffon.

“[Max] Allegri’s 4-2-3-1 is giving great satisfaction, they’re winning games and the players are having fun.

“As long as they keep sacrificing, Allegri will keep playing it.”

Finally, the Ballon d’Or winner was asked about the possibility of Zlatan Ibrahimovic ending his career with Napoli.

“I took him around Naples with me on a Vespa,” Cannavaro revealed.

“He has always been fascinated by the city and the fans. In the future, who knows…”