16 January 2024
Juventus Women are set to play their third game of 2024 this Wednesday with the trip to take on Sampdoria in the Italian Cup. The match is, curiously, the third competition they will face this calendar year, as well as the third game after having played in the Italian Super Cup and Serie A already.
After beating Roma to win the Super Cup and then following that up by beating Milan at home, there is a real desire to keep the momentum and make it three wins from three to start the new year away at Samp.
In his usual pre-match interview, coach Joe Montemurro got things going by looking back at the win over AC Milan, reflecting on Sofia Cantore’s brilliant winner and also the signing of Viola Calligaris.
The importance of the win over AC Milan
“Saturday’s win against Milan was very important for us. Over the course of a season these wins carry real weight and those three points were hugely valuable. But we know it wasn’t a perfect game on our part. However, winning like that shows that the team has reached a good level of maturity, and that’s undoubtedly good news.”
Cantore's vital goal
“Sofia [Cantore] got back on the scoresheet against Milan and that was another positive for us. If you want to compete at the highest level over the course of a season, you need everybody to contribute, so Cantore getting back to scoring is good news for her but for all of us, because no team can rely on just a few players for goals. Our group is lucky to have so many players who can decide matches, and against Milan it was Sofia’s turn.”
Sampdoria again...
“Tomorrow we’re coming up against Sampdoria again, less than a month after the loss in the league. Tomorrow’s game will be the first of two Italian Cup legs and it will be important for us to start on the right foot, paying respect to our opponents. I told the girls to take to the field remembering that we are the holders of the cup. As well, there will be a desire for revenge against Sampdoria, because of those points dropped in the league in Liguria.”
Welcome, Viola!
“[Viola] Calligaris is a player with international experience and who has already played with top clubs through her career. I think her characteristics are easily adaptable to our style of play and our idea of football. She is a player with real character and personality, and she is undoubtedly an important addition to our squad. I’m sure she’ll prove extremely useful to us in this second half of the season and going forward.”
