Foxtel A-League All Stars attacker David Williams says he’s gone close before, but now it would be the highlight of his career to score against Juventus and their super-star goal-keeper Gianluigi Buffon.
As the Foxtel A-League All Stars settled into camp in Wollongong, Williams is already looking forward to showing his wares against the Italian champions at ANZ Stadium on August 10.
The Melbourne City flyer is one of the rare players in Josep Gombau’s squad that has played against the Bianconeri before, during his time in Denmark with Brondby.
“I remember in the game I hit the post (against Buffon),” Williams told www.aleagueallstars.com.au.
“I nicked the ball off (Giorgio) Chiellini and shot quite quickly and hit the post from about 30 metres out.
“Buffon said to me after the game it was a bit cheeky. I’m not sure he will remember that but It’s nice to have that experience.”
Having watched many of the Juventus stars at the recent FIFA World Cup, Williams is under no illusions just how big a task the Foxtel A-League All Stars face next Sunday.
Juve possess Italian international defenders Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, Chiellini and French star Patrice Evra at the back.
But getting one past Buffon is all Williams really wants.
“I would love to score against him. Personally I still think he’s the world’s best keeper and has been for years,” Williams said.
“The way he handles the ball, the way he controls the game from the goal, not all the time a keeper can do that.
“I would love to be in that situation, hopefully I get a couple of chances on goal. It would be the highlight of my career if I can do that.”
With his long looks and pace, Williams has often been compared to Juventus star striker Carlos Tevez and he admits the Argentine is one of his favourite players.
“I feel I play similar to him. I play very direct. He’s an out and out striker and he’s very good at it,” Williams said.
“I like to watch what he does and see how he handles different situations. He’s a very good player hasn’t played at the clubs he has because he’s average.
“But we want to concentrate on ourselves and entertain. If we score one we wouldn’t just sit back and try and hold that.
“People want to see goals. We’re paid to do a job and one job is to entertain,. Hopefully we can do that for the public and make it well worth their travel and the money.”
The FOXTEL A-League All Stars will meet Juventus at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on 10 August with the match to be broadcast live and exclusive on the Seven Network nationally.
