The mission statement is clear: unity and sacrifice plus courage and awareness. This is what Captain Sara Gama and Coach Rita Guarino, during today’s press conference, underlined what would be needed in tomorrow’s match against defending champions Lyon at Allianz Stadium.
Here’s what they had to say:
RITA GUARINO
“We come into this match with an almost complete squad, the team is ready. The draw? We accepted it and we saw an important opportunity: a challenge, first of all, with ourselves. Lyon does not give points of reference; they have a lot of team movement and have top-level individuals: we will have to pay attention to details. In the first year of UEFA Women’s Champions League, maybe we weren't ready yet; last year, the match had two faces, we were waiting for the first leg, but we were better in the return. We now have more courage and awareness. A three-person defence? I would exclude it. The squad is all available with the exception of Pedersen; we trained well today."
SARA GAMA
"Our strengths are unity and sacrifice. We will face a great opponent, but if we help each other we can make a difference. There is little to say before a match like this; there is only being an example to the youngsters. For me, Juventus is home: we have done so many extraordinary things, and there are many more still to be done. When you face great teams, the basis for achieving results is sacrifice: we will play our game, we know them a little. Lyon is very strong, individually and collectively. I faced Lyon years ago in France, now I have a lot of experience, having participated in the turning point of women's football in Italy."