11 December 2024
The Juventus Women's First Team will face Bayern Munich away from home tomorrow, Thursday 12 December 2024, at 18:45 (CET). The match against the German side will be the fifth and penultimate Group Stage game of the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Below is an excerpt of what Paulina Krumbiegel and Massimiliano Canzi had to say during their pre-match press conference.
PAULINA KRUMBIEGEL
“Tomorrow's match (Thursday, 12 December 2024) will definitely be a different challenge to the one we faced against Lazio Women, a team with a very similar playing style to ours. It will be essential to be switched on straight from kick-off, and to take care of the ball, because we know that our opponents can be very dangerous, both individually and as a team. German football is very fast and physical, so we will have to be very strong in individual duels.
“Unfortunately these two matches cannot change our fortunes in this competition, but we want to play them in the best possible way because they would allow us to accumulate extra points for the UEFA ranking. That has to be our main goal now.
“Personally, I think I have settled in very well here in Italy. We've played many matches so far and I've played a good number of them. On a general level, I think the whole team is doing well. I am very happy to be here, at Juventus. The level of Italian football is high, comparable to German football. Regardless of the opponent you come up against, you are not guaranteed to win the game. A different aspect, however, compared to Germany is the defensive phase: in Italy it is very precise, there is great attention to detail, and it is impressive.”
MASSIMILIANO CANZI
“It will be an important match because there are precious points for the UEFA ranking at stake. We must have the right attitude, which is always important for big matches. We must honour the competition and, above all, play every match with the same desire.
“[Eva] Schatzer has returned to the squad and that is good news. Cristiana [Girelli], on the other hand, has a muscle problem, there is no injury, but she will not travel with the team ahead of the away match in Munich. We will see if she will be available for Sunday's match against Fiorentina. [Sara] Gama is working on the pitch and we are trying to get her back as soon as possible, but without rushing her recovery. She is not yet back in the squad.
“The level of the UWCL is very high, so it is normal that our attacking numbers are not the same as in the league. Certainly we could and should have taken better advantage of some opportunities that our opponents allowed us. In Germany we will play our game, confident in our ability and also remembering the first match against Bayern when we didn't come away with the points, but during which we certainly showed some of our ability. Our Champions League campaign has shown us that we can compete with anybody, but also that we have to raise our level further and that it is the attention to detail that makes the difference.”
