We’re on the eve of Milan-Juventus, an Italian football classic set for this Sunday evening, with Coach Massimiliano Allegri addressing the media at the Allianz Stadium to share his pre-match thoughts ahead of the clash at San Siro.
“It will be a beautiful yet challenging match: in addition to being Milan-Juve, it's also first against third on the table. Playing at San Siro will be both beautiful and difficult. My curiosity will be to see the type of match we will play, in a stadium that will be packed, against one of the three favourites, with Inter and Napoli, to win the league."
TEAM NEWS
“Tomorrow Adrien Rabiot will be captain, it will be the first time and we hope it will be a good omen. Dusan Vlahovic trained all week with the team and is fine, I will decide later if he will take to the field from the start because he probably doesn't have 90 minutes in his legs; the important thing is that he has recovered.
“We will evaluate today whether or not Federico Chiesa is available, if he is happy to be called up. Timothy Weah is growing: after a small moment of "decline", which is very normal for a player who comes from another league, he is now doing very well.
“I still have to decide between Andrea Cambiaso and Filip Kostic, who can both change a match. Samuel Iling-Junior is also doing well, as is Kenan Yildiz, who I see more as a second striker than a midfielder. Even though Alex Sandro and Danilo are out, we have enough players not to change our system, because for example Daniele Rugani is very reliable, also in terms of personality and can play in all positions, and we have Dean Huijsen who is ready to play. Arek Milik and Moise Kean have returned well from the break, Moise is growing a lot, also on a personal level. Finally, since yesterday, Joseph Nonge is now permanently part of the First Team, given the issues of Nicolo Fagioli and Paul Pogba.”
STANDINGS
"Are we favourites for the Scudetto? It's normal for opponents to say this, but our goal is to earn as many points as possible to be in the top four by the end of May. In the meantime, let's enjoy the match against Milan and see what we're capable of doing. I feel different from other coaches, because we are all different: however, I know the challenges of the last season were an opportunity for growth, and our path obviously continues. At the moment there are many points missing for us to achieve our goal, which we can only achieve by remaining calm and focused; when there are difficulties, as in life, we simply face them. Juve are a determined team, we have desire … you need to know how to face difficulties with strength of mind and in the best mental condition."
FAGIOLI
“The Club has expressed its opinion on Fagioli and I am aligned and in agreement: I spoke with him, it is not an easy period for him, but he knows that we are all waiting for him with open arms, giving him help and support. For him the path towards returning to the field has begun, he will have to maintain his athletic condition and at the same time engage in social work; from next May he will be able to resume his career, let's not forget that he is still very young."