01 June 2015
Massimiliano Allegri says Juventus can apply the finishing touches to an “extraordinary” campaign by bringing home the greatest prize of all in Saturday’s Champions League final against Barcelona in Berlin.
The boss, who has already steered the Bianconeri to Scudetto and Coppa Italia glory during his first term at the helm, is relishing the build-up to this weekend’s showdown and believes a historic treble would represent the icing on the cake of an unforgettable 2014/15 season.
“Preparing for a game like this is enjoyable. Everyone dreams of doing so and I consider myself very fortunate to coach players who have brought great joy over these past four years. It’s been an extraordinary season that will go down in history, and winning the Champions League would make it even better.”
The Bianconeri’s route to the final saw holders Real Madrid dispatched at the semi-final stage and Allegri claims the test against Los Galacticos will serve his men in good stead for handling the likes of Lionel Messi at the Olympiastadion.
“The meeting with Real was a useful test for us, enabling us to pit our wits against top quality players, as we’ll be doing when we face Barcelona. It will be even tougher in Berlin, but it’s a one-off game and that perhaps represents a slight advantage for us.”
“We need to appreciate that we’ll be in for some difficult spells but also moments that go in our favour. We’re not travelling to Berlin to make up the numbers. It’s the final and taking on the world’s best players is something that’s perfectly normal, but this shouldn’t make us anxious as we have great character.”
Character will be teamed with a compact tactical approach in Germany and the Tuscan revealed his pre-match preparations are covering all bases, including a penalty shootout scenario in the event of the scores remaining tied at 120 minutes.
“We need to stay compact and keep it tight. They possess great quality, but so do we. We’ll prepare for every eventuality, including penalties, but I don’t think it will go to spot kicks.”
