03 January 2024
Juventus will embark on their Coppa Italia journey on Thursday evening at 21:00 CET in the last-16 tie with Salernitana, which coach Massimiliano Allegri previewed in his pre-match press conference.
THE MEANING OF THE CUP
“The Coppa Italia means a lot to us, as it always has. That applies even more so this season as we're only competing in this competition and in the league, so we must do everything possible to get to face Frosinone in the quarter-finals. Anything can happen in a knockout tie, as we saw with Napoli and Inter getting knocked out. The early stages of the Coppa Italia may not interest everyone, but there's a trophy at stake. Losing or drawing a game at this club can almost be a catastrophe, which is exactly why we have to give our all to progress. That's what's great about being at Juve.”
THE OPPOSITION
“Tomorrow we’re facing a team on the up. Salernitana beat Verona away from home and are well drilled, so we mustn’t underestimate them. We’ll face them once again on Sunday, but right now we’re focused on the cup. When the tie is over, we’ll turn our attention towards the league. It’s always tough to win matches. The further ahead you go, the smaller the margin for error, so we need to be good in that regard.”
TRANSFER MARKET AND TEAM IMPROVEMENT
“I’m calm about the transfer market. [Paul] Pogba and [Nicolo] Fagioli have been unavailable for a long time now, but we just want to work hard to boost our development. We have the right people following and keeping an eye on how things unfold in the transfer market.
“I have so many options in attack, but at the moment the team has found its framework. We mustn’t rush things and will continue to take it step by step. These games become important in terms of players getting minutes under their belts and giving opportunities to those who have played less so far. We know we’re involved in fewer games this season, so it’s normal for some players to be involved less, which is exactly why it’s crucial to get back into the Champions League.”
INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS
“[Joseph] Nonge won’t start but he’ll probably be involved from the bench. As for the line-up, I’ll make up my mind tomorrow. [Mattia] Perin will certainly be in goal,[Daniele] Rugani will be in defence and [Federico] Chiesa will be up front. I still need to assess the rest. [Kenan] Yildiz won’t play tomorrow. When a young player is doing well, they get highly praised straight away. He needs to stay calm and keep working hard. The rest is just chatter. I’ll certainly send the best possible team out there tomorrow. The stadium will be packed out, so even more reason for us to want to win.
“McKennie has improved so much. His time at Leeds was useful to him. He’s developed and matured. He came back here full of desire to make his contribution. He has five months ahead of him to improve even more. As for [Fabio] Miretti, I’m very pleased. He’s found himself playing so much over the last 18 months. Recently he’s featured a bit less, but he’s done his job whenever he’s been called on. His goal in Florence earnt us three important points. He can improve further and he’s certainly staying here.”
