Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri believes Monaco will be a tougher opponent than Dortmund ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri believes Monaco will be a tougher opponent than Dortmund ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash.

The Bianconeri eased past the German outfit 5-1 on aggregate to progress to the quarter-finals and were handed what many consider to be the most favourable draw of the round in the principality club.

But Allegri disagrees with that notion and points to the club’s impressive defensive record in both domestic and European competitions this season as a testament to the quality of Leonardo Jardim’s squad.

“Monaco deserved to make the quarter-finals,” Allegri said in his pre-match Press conference. “This is a team which eliminated Benfica and Zenit [St Petersburg] in the group, conceding just one goal in six games.

“Including the knockout stages they’ve only conceded four goals and have scored seven, they have attributes.

“I think I’m right in saying they have the best defence in France, conceding just 22 goals. These numbers don’t happen by chance.

“They’re a very organised team, with a very good, astute coach [Leonardo Jardim] and we’ll have to play two good games to go through. Qualification won’t be decided in 90 minutes, it will be the same as Borussia Dortmund.

“We’ll have to have a lot of patience tomorrow night, we’ll have to play well and be aware that it’s unlikely – very unlikely – that the issue of qualification will be settled in Turin. We’d all like that, but I think it will be very difficult. We must be very careful.

“As for being favourites, you could make us favourites but I think in a quarter-final one team can be a little more favoured than the other.

“It will be very difficult for us to get to the semi-finals is we don’t play with the same intensity and technique as against Dortmund. I believe these two games will be much more complicated.”