Having grown up as a Milan supporter, Melbourne Victory captain Carl Valeri cannot wait to have a crack at the Rossoneri’s archrivals Juventus.
Victory will host Juve at the MCG on Saturday in the opening match of the Australian leg of the 2016 International Champions Cup (ICC), and Valeri could hardly contain himself on Tuesday.
While he insists he now has a soft spot for Juve as his former coach Massimiliano Allegri is in charge of the Bianconeri, Valeri conceded that he would still get a special buzz out of knocking off the Serie A champions.
“100 per cent. I’m excited,” Valeri said.
“It’s a dream come true.
“I mean to play Juventus at home in front of Melbourne Victory supporters – what a night.”
After growing up in Canberra, Valeri spent 12 years playing in Italy but never made an appearance in Serie A.
The defensive midfielder will get a taste of what it could have been like in the ICC and hopes his younger Victory team-mates make the most of the opportunity.
“It’s going to be great for the youngsters, it’s going to be a great experience,” he said.
“I wish I had this experience when I was young. It’s definitely going to help them grow.”
Valeri declared there has been “a great buzz” at Victory’s training sessions over the past couple of weeks as they have prepared for their ICC fixtures against Juve and Atletico Madrid.
The friendlies will help Victory “set the standard high” ahead of FFA Cup and Hyundai A-League commitments.
“It’s a stepping stone to get the right mentality, to make those mistakes, to get better – it’s an opportunity to get better and that’s what we’ve got to go out and do,” Valeri said.
Victory will face Atletico in Geelong on July 31.
