Bonucci: 'Beckanbauer fired us up'

Leonardo Bonucci has an ulterior reason for Juventus to fight back against Bayern Munich. “Franz Beckenbauer fired us up.”

The Bianconeri were beaten 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final and play the decider in Turin on Wednesday.

“We believe because we are Juventus,” the defender told Sky Sport Italia.

“It’s still wide open and we will put 110 per cent on to the field. That’s not to say we’ll start off pouring forward without thinking about the consequences, as there are 90 minutes to score a goal.

“We have the opportunity to continue our dream and have our say, so we can put a great team like Bayern under pressure.”

Bayern Munich Honorary President Beckenbauer caused controversy when he said Buffon “looked like a pensioner” during the first leg.

“We have respect for his words, but this will fire up both us and Gigi. We want to go through to the semi-finals,” concluded Bonucci.