Emotion, determination and anticipation—these are the feelings that abound as Europe's most beautiful and important competition begins again.
These are the words of coach Thiago Motta and Manuel Locatelli on the eve of Juve's return to the Champions League on 17 September.
THIAGO MOTTA
"We are proud to start this beautiful competition. Plus, we are playing at home. I can't wait to start the game in front of our fans—we will be wearing a historical jersey and we are excited and focused on tomorrow's match. It will be a good challenge, both for us and also for our supporters. Our two teams simply enjoy playing football. We performed well at Empoli, even if we didn't get the result we wanted. That chapter is closed though, that match is behind us. The entire staff will be dealing with strong emotions—this is what we have been working towards for years. We want to have a great match, the stadium will be full. We are happy to bear this responsibility—it is beautiful and brings out great energy.”
"The format of the Champions League is fascinating—we will face so many different teams. It is a factor that is both beautiful and challenging, and also changes the way we work. The important thing is to get off on a good foot tomorrow, and then think about the next match.”
“Vlahovic? He is fine. He has to take the criticism and look forward. The offence and defence are the responsibility of the whole team. That means that if we haven’t conceded a single goal, it is also thanks to him and the spirit he is playing with.”
"We need to treat all of our opponents with great respect, and of course that includes PSV. But we need to focus on our duties on-pitch. They are confident with the ball and have quality players, so we need to win the ball back as much as possible and to try to make them play a game that shakes them out of their habits. We will have to be compact when defending, without leaving spaces between the lines. We need to be aggressive, impose our game and keep driving the things we do best, while at the same time trying to improve the others. I want to see a complete team. How far do we want to go? As far as possible. We need to be competitive with everyone and it starts tomorrow.”
MANUEL LOCATELLI
“We missed the Champions League last year. It is special to hear the music. It is football's most important competition and we can't wait to take to the pitch in front of our fans. We've changed. I’m now one of the most experienced players and I have to set an example. There are a lot of guys who want to make an impact and that makes it easier. We've bonded very well, because there's a lot of desire to come back and play at a great level here, all together.”
“Personally, since the first day of the season, I have been focused on improving. We are working well with the coach. We have a quality midfield and are able to give good coverage to every area.”
"Our draw with Empoli was not the result we wanted and it left us a bit frustrated, but our thoughts are on tomorrow, because it's an important game. PSV is an organised team, they play good football. The most important thing, though, is our approach: There are many youngsters ready to make their debut. It will be exciting, but we need to dominate the match from the opening whistle—even though we know it won't be easy. We will have to recover the ball quickly and keep the ball on our feet. Fear? We cannot be scared. The Champions League requires maturity, and that is why we are here: to fight for every ball.”