Midweek Cup matters are now the focus for the Bianconeri, who are preparing to take on Inter Milan in their second leg Coppa Italia semi-final at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.
Juan Cuadrado's strike was cancelled out by a late Romelo Lukaku penalty as the first-leg finished 1-1, with a spot in the final up for grabs on Wednesday night. Ahead of the showdown (scheduled to kick off at 21:00 CEST), Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the press at the Allianz Stadium on the eve of the match.
THE MATCH
“Tomorrow is Inter-Juventus, a wonderful match to reach the final of the Cup. It will be an evening of great competition but also a good game, and we will do everything possible to reach the Final. It will be a spectacle, leaving aside the first leg: Juventus has been able to identify those responsible because we are at the forefront of this issue."
SEASON GOALS
“Our behaviour must always be exemplary, and if this hasn't happened on the rare occasion, we will see if we can improve in this sense as well. We must not waste time making complaints, they are just useless waste of energy. Our goal is to think about finishing the league season well, with the aim of achieving second place, and reaching the two finals in the competitions in which we are still playing. Then, if Inter win tomorrow, we will congratulate them; the important thing is to remember that in the 93rd minute, if you haven't won a game, you definitely must not lose it. We must always stay focused."
TEAM NEWS
“We will have to evaluate the players tomorrow. Dušan Vlahović is a doubt, today he suffered an ankle strain in training, and Moise Kean is also unavailable. If Arek Milik has recovered he will be able to play, but I have to still decide on the attack as well as the defence. Paul Pogba could play a part as well, while Mattia Perin will be in goal.”
CONSTANT GROWTH
“Fabio Miretti is doing well and is growing, as is Samuel Iling-Junior: this is all part of their growth path, they are young, and Juventus have proved to be at the forefront of this with the Juventus Next Gen project. For me, being here for seven years is a privilege and an honour: then there are, as in all cases in life, moments of difficulty that must be faced with serenity and clear ideas in planning for the future. I am a company man and I have a technical responsibility, but I also try to give value to the players: everything must be done with very clear ideas, something that Juve has been doing for 10 years, with many forward-thinking decisions which must be taken even in the most difficult moments, when you win, but also when you lose.”