Juventus' Tévez relaxed about European drought

Juventus forward Carlos Tévez has not lost any sleep over his barren European run going into the Italian side's UEFA Europa League quarter-final opener with Olympique Lyonnais on 3 April.

"I'm calm because sooner or later the goals will come, but it's not an obsession for me," said the Argentinian international, who is without a goal in continental competition since netting for Manchester United FC against FC Porto in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League. His 18 Serie A strikes since joining from Manchester City FC last summer, however, have helped the Bianconeri close on a third consecutive Scudetto.

Yet while his European goal drought is not quite an issue of Jekyll and Hyde proportions, it is still unusual for a player of his calibre. "It's like the ball never wants to go in for him in Europe," attack partner Pablo Osvaldo told UEFA.com after the round of 32 triumph over Trabzonspor AŞ in February. "However, Carlos is a fantastic player and it's impossible not to feel comfortable playing alongside him."

Juve racked up their 15th successive top-flight home win in midweek, edging Parma FC 2-1 thanks to a brace from Tévez, who remained pragmatic after being ruled out of Sunday's trip to third-placed SSC Napoli through suspension. "Unfortunately I can't play at the weekend but it gives me an opportunity to prepare myself in the best possible manner for Lyon. I'll be able to recharge the batteries before travelling to France," he said ahead of Thursday's first-leg assignment at the Stade de Gerland.

His team-mates will also have to go through the gears after stumbling to victories against Calcio Catania and now Parma. "It's been difficult," the diminutive No10 added. "We're playing lots of games and it's not always possible to play at a high tempo. Still, we managed to win and that's what counts. We can't do any more than this." With 26 victories from 30 Serie A outings, Tévez's assessment is well founded, though Juve will need him to rediscover his scoring touch on foreign fields sooner rather than later.