Match Coverages
Massimiliano Allegri discusses Juventus’ season so far, injured players, and preparations for Freiburg match
Ahead of their Europa League round of 16 match against Freiburg, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has spoken about his team’s preparations and injury concerns.
Speaking to Sky Sport, Allegri expressed his optimism for the match, saying “We will face the game with the conviction of advancing to the next round, to take another step forward. It will be a complicated, difficult game, as they are a different team at home.”
He was also asked about the fitness of key players, Allegri gave updates on Di Maria and Chiesa who was reportedly to be a doubt for the match.
He said, “He missed a couple of training sessions, but this morning he did some separate training. He’s feeling better, but I think it’s very difficult to see him starting from the first minute,” regarding Di Maria.
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On Chiesa, Allegri said, “He seemed to be in worse shape, but today he had a good training session. He will be available from the bench.”
Reflecting on the team’s season so far, Allegri stated, “What counts today may not count tomorrow. In the league, we have earned 53 points on the field, and we need to get more to ensure that we can be in the Champions League at the end of the season, regardless of the penalty.
“In the Champions League, we were eliminated in the group stage this year, and now we are focusing on the Europa League, a competition with strong and difficult teams.”
On the subject of Vlahovic, the coach was confident in his performance, stating, “He played well on Sunday, he’s physically fine, so I’m not worried. He will score soon, it’s just a phase that will pass. It’s more noticeable when a striker doesn’t score. He had been inactive for 3 months, but he can do better.”
When asked about his strategy for the upcoming match, Allegri said, “What I need to say to the players, I will say tomorrow, knowing the difficulties of the game, which will be different from the first leg.”
Juventus will face off against Freiburg on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 match, where they have 1-0 lead on aggregates
