The Italian defender fears more opposition against the Belgian center-forward than against the five-time Ballon d’Or.
Italy defender Francesco Acerbi has hinted that he would rather face Cristiano Ronaldo instead of Romelu Lukaku in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals because he believes the Portugal captain “is easier to mark” than the prolific Belgian striker.
“Lukaku is a complete striker”
Acerbi played the 120 minutes of the meeting which saw Italy dominate Austria in the round of 16 on Saturday (2-1), the three goals being scored in overtime after the first 90 minutes without a goal at Wembley. Roberto Mancini’s selection will challenge the winner of the Portugal-Belgium clash in the next round, and Acerbi admits he would have a better chance of stopping Ronaldo than Lukaku, whom he considers a “complete player”.
When asked after the game against Austria on which man is the most difficult to neutralize from a defensive point of view, the Italian defender replied: “Maybe Lukaku, because he’s a complete player, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo, who always scores. As a center forward Lukaku is more difficult to score because he has more physique, he has power. and is little more than a striker. Cristiano Ronaldo is the classic striker, but he’s easier to score than Lukaku. “
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