ALLEGRI: "KEEP COOL AND DELIVER"
Massimiliano Allegri calls on his side to put their first-leg lead to one side and play to win at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night against Barcelona.
Simple scenario
“We’ve got an important lead to our name but nothing should be taken for granted in football. We are still 95 minutes and another brilliant performance away from the semi-finals. The perfect game? As long as we end up in the last four, that is all that matters. There will be times in the game tomorrow when we will have to dig deep and defend but we also know that not a lot will have changed in the space of a week; Barca will still have the same weaknesses for us to exploit and the same strengths in attack that we need to negate. As a result, the picture tomorrow is very simple for us. To get past Barcelona – a side for whom we have great respect - we need to defend well and attack well. If we do that, we can take a small step towards the final in Cardiff, no more and no less.”
Allegri’s Juventus
“This is a very different side from the one that reached the final in 2015. Back then our strength was in central areas, while now we have quality on the flanks and up front that perhaps we didn’t have before. I always set up my team to maximise the characteristics and attributes I have at my disposal. In defence, we know that we have all the necessary tools to shut out Barca’s three star men for a second time. Everyone is in good shape so expect to see very few changes in terms of personnel and maybe a few tactically; no two football matches are the same.”
Keep cool to reach semis
“The most important thing is that we forget about the three goals we scored in the first leg and take to the field here with nothing on our minds besides scoring at least once and playing to win. We have huge respect for Barcelona so we know that we will need to play even better than we did in Turin to reach the semi-finals. Every time we come forward, we have to believe that we can score and make sure that we take advantage of every chance that comes our way. There’s no need to overthink ahead of matches like this. We just have to go out there and deliver.”
(Photo LaPresse)
