12 May 2018
One trophy down. One to go. With the Coppa Italia already in the cabinet following Wednesday's win over Milan in Rome, the Bianconeri have the opportunity of claiming more silverware in the same city again, when they take on Roma on Sunday night at the Stadio Olimpico (20.45 CEST).
Indeed, a positive result for Juventus would see the club secure a seventh straight Scudetto and that's exactly what Massimiliano Allegri has asked his players to do this weekend.
TWO TEAMS, TWO TARGETS
“Both teams have their respective aims this weekend: Roma want to qualify for the Champions League and we want to win the Scudetto. I’ve told the boys that if they'd like an extra week of holiday, they need to wrap up the league title tomorrow! Otherwise we’ll be putting in the hard yards ahead of the Verona match.”
RESPECT FOR ROMA
“Roma vs Juventus is always a huge match and we will be playing in a full stadium from what I have heard. It will be a special occasion, they have passionate supporters and they’re a team that has enjoyed a great Champions League campaign. They’re a physically strong side and very well drilled by their manager.
“Eusebio Di Francesco has done a fantastic job there and it wasn’t easy to achieve the results that he’s achieved, especially getting to a Champions League semi-final. He is undoubtedly one of the best young managers in the business.”
COPPA ITALIA IN THE CAN
“We've won the Coppa Italia for a fourth year in a row and it was fully deserved. To not concede a single goal throughout the competition was a great achievement too, matching that of Torino in 1942/43.”
TEAM NEWS FOR SUNDAY
“Higuain and Dybala will start in attack tomorrow. Pipita was on the bench for the Coppa Italia final, but that match might have lasted 120 minutes, in which case fresh legs would have been needed. Regarding the other forwards, I need to decide on Douglas Costa, while Cuadrado is suspended for this match.
“Szczesny will be playing in goal with Buffon rested. Chiellini and Howedes are out injured still, but everyone else is available.”
A WORD ON THE SCUDETTO RACE
“I would not say that Napoli have fallen away as such in this title race, but rather that we kept our cool at the crucial moments.
“Napoli have grown year on year with Maurizio Sarri at the helm and they deserve a lot of credit for combining results on the pitch with a wonderful style of play.”
B TEAMS THE FUTURE
“I am absolutely in favour of introducing B teams in Italian football. It's a starting point for letting young players gain more game time and develop their skills, and I am a firm believer that there’s plenty of promising talent in this country, but they need to be out on the pitch playing football.
“There needs to be a proper structure in place and the authorities also need to make sure that the Serie B and Lega Pro remain competitive at the same time.”
