Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri believes Real Madrid will still be one of the leading teams in Europe this season even without Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Bianconeri coach was speaking after a Ronaldo-less Juve lost 3-1 to Los Blancos at FedEx Field in Maryland overnight on Saturday.
Gareth Bale and a Marco Asensio brace cancelled out Dani Carvajal’s own goal and Allegri was impressed by Julen Lopetegui’s side.
“Real Madrid have a great squad even without Cristiano, ours is a great squad too, thanks in part to the experience of a player like Cristiano,” he said.
“I saw a Madrid which is preparing, with a number of players still away, but I’m sure they will be leading in Europe.
“It was a good game against a great team. It wasn’t easy after playing four games and already thinking about the Italian championship.”
The Italian coach was also keen not to get carried away following the summer signing of Ronaldo, who predictably was the talk before, during and after the friendly.
And even though the Old Lady are sure to be even tougher to beat, both domestically and in Europe in 2018/19, Allegri insists his players must not think it will be an easy season.
“It’s normal that with Cristiano we will be stronger, but we mustn’t think that the Italian championship will be easy and think about the Champions League,” he added.
“You have to have a great respect for our rivals. I’ll be lucky enough to coach Cristiano, which will be very prestigious for our football.”
The fixture was the last of Juventus’ pre-season campaign with their next game the Serie A opener against Chievo on August 18.
