Toure insists Juventus are Europa favourites

Simon Stone,Pa
Friday 17 September 2010 10:07 BST
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Yaya Toure still believes Juventus are Europa League favourites even though Manchester City have already swept past them in Group A.

While City were recording a comfortable 2-0 triumph over Salzburg in Austria, Juve were having a difficult evening in their Turin stronghold.

The Italian giants found themselves two goals down to Polish minnows Lech Poznan.

Then, after they had staged a remarkable comeback to lead 3-2, conceded in the final minutes to allow the visitors to claim a point.

As City must face Juventus at Eastlands in a fortnight, the task of beating them looks very manageable.

But Toure still has immense respect for the 'Old Lady' of Serie A and is not discounting them just yet.

"I still feel Juventus are the favourites," he said.

"They are a very big team and for that reason alone they deserve some respect.

"We need to keep our concentration and work hard in training because that game is very important for us, if only because it is our first at home in this competition."

Nevertheless, Toure accepts last night's results worked in City's favour.

Victory in a fortnight would leave City perfectly placed to seal a spot in next year's knockout round with four games still to go.

Not that Toure believes the Blues can take anything for granted.

"It is a good for us that Juventus drew," he said.

"But when you see a team with that kind of standing drawing at home against one like Poznan, it makes you realise football these days is not so easy.

"Our aim is to win this group. We need to concentrate and work hard to achieve it."

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