11 January 2022
On the eve of the 34th Italian Super Cup, the second between Juventus and Inter, Massimiliano Allegri and Giorgio Chiellini set the scene ahead of the showdown scheduled to kick off at 21h00 CET on Wednesday, January 12th.
MISTER ALLEGRI
“Tomorrow is a one-off match in a great stadium. We need to play with enthusiasm, determination and intelligence with the aim of winning the Super Cup. We need to play a technical game and take advantage of the episodes that come our way.
“We have many young players who need to grow in terms of experience. The more you play, the more experience you gain in terms of decision making during the match. The result tomorrow shouldn’t affect the progress we’ve been making over the last two months. For example, against Udinese on Saturday we have another important match.
“Leonardo Bonucci is back for tomorrow’s match but doesn’t have 90 minutes in his legs, Danilo still isn’t fully fit. Paulo Dybala played 86 minutes against Roma when that wasn’t what we had planned for him on his comeback from injury. Alex Sandro is available again and Koni De Winter has been called up.
“Mattia Perin will play in goal because Wojciech Szczesny is unavailable until the very last minute due to COVID protocols. Daniele Rugani, who in my opinion was the best player alongside Szczesny against Roma, has grown a lot and is one of the best defenders we have.
“Tomorrow can go to extra-time so we need to be ready with the entire squad, just like we have to be over the remainder of the season.”
“I spoke to Federico after the match and Monday morning. He’s young and has time to recover. We’ll miss him because he was fit and in the right place mentally for the second half of the season.”
GIORGIO CHIELLINI
“Inter have great technical and physical strength. Although we know we are up against a team that is enjoying a great moment of form, it doesn’t mean that in a one-off match we can’t hold our own against them. We know from personal experience that the favourites don’t necessarily win. In a one-off encounter anything can happen.
“We need to be balanced over the long term without being overly impacted by the highs or lows of particular performances. The match against Roma was a huge shot in the arm, though, and has given us a boost of enthusiasm but we know we need to find consistency.
“We were missing at the start of the second half against Roma and conceded two goals in five minutes, which is not acceptable for us.
“I’m sorry for Federico having experienced an injury like his. I spoke to him in the dugout and we understood straight away the extent of the injury. He knows he can count on our support all the way through his recovery. It would be great if we could dedicate a victory to him.”
