Buffon wary of Fiorentina firepower

Posted Thursday, March 20, 2014 by YAHOO Sport

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has urged his teammates not to take compatriot Fiorentina lightly when the clubs meet in the Europa League on Thursday.

The two sides drew 1-1 in Turin in the first leg of their round-of-16 clash last week, with Mario Gomez grabbing a priceless equalizer after Arturo Vifla's early goal.

And while the Old Lady may sit 27 points ahead of Vincenzo Montella's side in Serie A, Buffon is expecting a tough challenge at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

"We all have to focus on the job at hand and hope to achieve the satisfaction of a win that will take us forward in the competition," the 36-year-old told a press conference on Wednesday. "As a goalkeeper, I have to keep a particular eye out for Mario Gomez and Alessandro Matri among their other players."

The Viola have fallen behind the top three in Italy after an encouraging start to the season, though they remain in the hunt for the European places.

Buffon, however, sees the clash as another chance for his side to reinforce its domestic dominance, with Juve brushing aside all competition at present in the defense of the league crown.

"There's no hiding from the fact that they have a lot of top level players and a very capable coach, so of course they're going to cause you difficulties," he added. "Tomorrow is a different game and another chance for us to prove ourselves."