25 September 2023
"Tomorrow we have to get back to winning ways to immediately move on from the bad loss to Sassuolo. The team are angry and sorry for what happened, but at the same time they're motivated. There's a real desire to get back on the pitch as soon as possible. We had a bad night, we made mistakes that allowed our opponents to win the game, but we didn't play badly. We didn't defend well, and individual mistakes cost us. I hope the home support will give us that extra boost against Lecce, who are one of just two unbeaten teams this season. We need to have the right attitude, be proactive and, above all, positive. It will be so important to get three points."
Massimiliano Allegri, with the above words, is clear about what Juventus have to do as they host Lecce at the Allianz Stadium in Serie A on Tuesday, needing to bounce back from a loss at Sassuolo last time out.
The game is set for 20:45 CEST on Tuesday, September 26, and it will be Matchday 6 of the 2023/24 Serie A season.
On Lecce
"Lecce are a solid team, they're excellently coached by Roberto D'Aversa. They're a technical side and it's not a coincidence that they're still unbeaten. Pantaleo Corvino has put together a very competitive squad, and even last year too. It will be a good game."
On his selection choices
"Federico [Gatti] has to stay calm, because he hasn't even played 30 games for Juventus. These mistakes happen, and they'll probably happen again, but maybe not quite like the other night. The important thing is to overcome them. As for Szczesny, Wojciech is our first-choice goalkeeper and he'll play tomorrow. Having said that, we also have [Mattia] Perin, another very good goalkeeper who can be important. We'll have to evaluate [Moise] Kean's condition because he has a slight problem with his tibia, and [Kenan] Yildiz is back after a great goal with the Next Gen. [Daniele] Rugani and [Arkadiusz] Milik are fine, and I'll make a decision about them ahead of tomorrow. [Dusan] Vlahovic and [Federico] Chiesa played a lot on Saturday and one might start from the bench given we have a trip to Bergamo at the weekend."
The top four
"Three teams are Scudetto favourites - Inter, AC Milan and Napoli. We're fighting for the top four and there are also Atalanta, Fiorentina, Lazio and Roma there. It's going to be a tough season, and that's already clear. Inter are deservedly top for now, but we're focused on ourselves and qualifying for next season's Champions League."
Experience and youth
"We have a lot of experienced players in the squad. But we've said since the start of the season that we lost some experienced players, but we gained pace and enthusiasm. We have to keep working with balance, knowing that more bad nights like Saturday may come. It's important to know our limitations and turn them into strengths. If we don't have a balance that allows us to be disciplined then things get tough. For that reason, it's fundamental to work calmly. If you play for Juventus, you have to take a lot of responsibility and go beyond being technically good; you have to be ready to live with the pressure here and only by training every day can you manage those things in the best possible way."
