Coach Massimiliano Allegri addressed the media gathered at the Allianz Stadium in a press conference ahead of his sides upcoming encounter. The Bianconeri will visit Atalanta in a match valid for the seventh day of the Serie A championship. One point separates the two teams in the standings: Juve has 13 points, while Atalanta has collected 12.
ATALANTA
"Usually the matches against Atalanta are all very tight. Atalanta are in good form, they haven't lost or conceded a goal at home yet. You have to prepare for the match in the best possible way, with great attention to detail while keeping up a good rhythm. We won a direct clash against Lazio, now we have another one against a team that plays in a completely different way and is more physical and more aggressive. Clearly the championship doesn't end tomorrow, but tomorrow's is one of those matches where you have to give everything if you want to bring home a result."
CHOICES
"Unfortunately both Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik won't be available tomorrow. Dusan has a back problem - this week he trained, but then yesterday he was in too much pain and had to stop. He tried to grit his teeth to be there, but it's better to give him time off to recover. Arek, however, felt pain in his calf after Lecce and since then it's been a delicate situation, so we preferred to rest him so that he can return to the team on Tuesday. Moise Kean will return and will start, while Tommaso Mancini from Next Gen will be with us. In midfield I have to decide between Nicolo Fagioli and Fabio Miretti, who are both well and are improving, while in defense Daniele Rugani played a very good game, but ended with cramps so I'll have to evaluate him. Kenan Yildiz and Dean Huijsen had good matches with the Next Gen, they are lads who are growing nicely. In general the whole team is improving in their condition, also from a physical point of view. I think of Adrien Rabiot and Timothy Weah, whose engine is starting to run differently. Timothy showed good things in the United States, then he had a small decline, which is normal because everything has changed for him, and now he is returning to his best levels."
OBJECTIVE
"We don't have to look at the rankings now, even if staying in the top four would help us have greater self-esteem and allow us to work with more peace of mind. We must continue to work, knowing that our goal is to get into the top four so we can play in the Champions League next year. There is enthusiasm in the group and, above all, a desire to improve. When the team is young, or at least less experienced, you have to be positive: there is enormous room for growth. However, the championship will be long, we will just have to concentrate on collecting the points to achieve our goal, without leaving aside our greatest desires."