15 March 2016
Massimiliano Allegri is calling on his men to pull out all the stops when they take to the field to face Bayern Munich in Wednesday night’s decisive Champions League last 16 second leg tie at the Allianz Arena.
Unwavering belief was key to the Bianconeri clawing back a two-goal deficit to level matters during the first encounter three weeks ago in Turin, and the club’s Tuscan tactician is demanding his charges show similar battling qualities in Bavaria as they bid to reach the quarter-finals for a second successive year.
Speaking to the media in Munich, Allegri began: “We’ll need a great performance, otherwise the chances of reaching the next round diminish. The quality of the two sides makes it more of a semi-final tie. We’ll need a bit of luck and it’s important to stay in it right until the end, because the first game showed us that, especially in Europe, these contests are never over.
“Tomorrow we’re up against a side who are used to enjoying 60 per cent possession, but we know that they’ve got weaknesses we can exploit. When you play against sides like Bayern, one of Europe’s best three, you’re required to give everything you’ve got. It’s a shame one of the two teams has to exit the competition tomorrow - here’s hoping it’s them.”
The absences of Claudio Marchisio, Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala mean Juventus will be missing three of their big guns in Germany, but Allegri remains upbeat over his side’s chances of coming away with the right result.
He added: “Marchisio and Chiellini need time to recover, and the international break will allow them to do this. Dybala hasn’t suffered any muscle tears but is in pain. It would have been a big risk to bring him here, so I decided to leave him at home, also with Serie A and the Coppa Italia final in mind. Regardless, we have a strong squad and whoever crosses the white line tomorrow will be up to the task.”
