The Europa League semifinal draw was announced on April 11, 2014, and more than a few people were excited to see Juventus face Benfica. Arguably the strongest two among a foursome that also included Sevilla and Valencia, the Juve-Benfica tie was heralded as the hotter of the two semifinals.
Here is what Nuno Gomes, Pavel Nedvěd and Mauricio Isla had to say about the contest:
Mauricio Isla, Juventus midfielder
Benfica are a very good side with a great striker like [Óscar] Cardozo and many other valuable players, [Eduardo] Salvio among them.
We will need to be our best to beat them. Juve have not reached a European final in over ten years. Now there are only two games separating us from the showpiece.
Pavel Nedvěd, Juventus board member and legend
We are totally focused on the Europa League, where we are giving all we have, and this is what we will do until the end. There's a slight advantage for us, because we will play the return leg at home, but I don't know if it will really be vital.
It has been years since an Italian team reached a European semi-final. It will be a tough game against Benfica. We are probably the strongest teams left in the competition.
Nuno Gomes, Benfica director
Juventus are a team with a fantastic history in the European competitions – they are Champions League regulars and they are the current Italian champions. It will be hard, but there is a 50% chance for either side.
Maybe this was the final that everyone wanted, but it would not be easier if it was just one game. The fact is we have to play two. We will work with the goal of reaching the final. We want to keep fighting on all fronts until the end and do everything to end the season celebrating our achievements.
In the other draw of the 2013/14 Europa League, Sevilla drew fellow Spanish boys Valencia.
