04 November 2017
PROFESSIONAL APPROACH REQUIRED
“Tomorrow we need to win a game of football. It’s not like we can just turn up tomorrow and Benevento will present us with the three points. We have to earn the victory tomorrow on the pitch.
“While it’s true that they’ve not picked up a single point yet this season, we must be careful and approach the match with the utmost professionalism. We can’t afford to lose concentration at any moment and whoever I select tomorrow must play a good game.”
TEAM NEWS
“There’ll be some changes, but not too many from the team that played on Tuesday in Lisbon.
“Sami Khedira is selected, but tomorrow will most likely see Claudio Marchisio start in midfield. He’s in good shape, but needs minutes and this will be an excellent test for him.
“Benedikt Howedes played 40 minutes of the training ground friendly on Thursday, so Sunday’s match may still be a little early for him, but if there’s a chance to bring him off the bench, he could feature for a part of the game. Wojciech Szczesny will start in goal.
“I’m not sure if Mario Mandzukic will play, as he’s played an awful lot of matches recently. One of Federico Bernardeschi and Juan Cuadrado will start against Benevento. Federico has done well whenever he’s been picked. It’s in his DNA to make the difference in games.”
SITUATION ON THE SIDELINES
“Miralem Pjanic is unavailable after suffering bruising to his right thigh against Sporting CP.
"Medhi Benatia will also sit out after picking up a knock. It doesn’t look serious, but we won’t be taking any risks.”
