01 November 1897
Massimiliano Allegri says his men need to keep their foot firmly on the accelerator as they bid to record back-to-back Serie A wins when top-flight newcomers Frosinone travel to Juventus Stadium tomorrow evening.
A slow start to their domestic campaign means the Bianconeri find themselves playing catch up on early pacesetters Inter, but away successes over Manchester City and Genoa have provided a timely morale boost ahead of an important run of fixtures.
Despite these positive results, Allegri is refusing to get ahead of himself, insisting time and patience are required for Juventus to reposition themselves among those fighting for this season’s Scudetto crown.
Speaking to the media in Vinovo, he began: “We’re behind as it stands and need to take each game as it comes. Tomorrow we must come away with all three points, get back to winning ways at home and start climbing into the upper reaches of the table.”
Last Tuesday’s triumph over Manchester City set the tone for a positive five days which culminated in a successful Sunday in Genoa, where the visitors came through a tough test unscathed to claim their first league win of the season.
Allegri says the victory came at a “crucial” moment of his team’s campaign and believes Juventus were good value for all three points at the Marassi.
“Sunday in Genoa was crucial for us. It’s a tough venue where Juventus have won just once in the last five or six years. They’re always physical affairs against Gasperini’s side, even more so when they’re playing on home turf.
“We could have made it a less physical game in the second half, but were poor in the way we kept the ball. Having said that, we didn’t allow them a shot on goal and were worthy winners.”
An update from the treatment table focused on the respective conditions of Alvaro Morata and Mario Mandzukic, both of whom left the action ahead of the full-time whistle on Sunday afternoon, and saw Allegri confirm his intention to rest both Gigi Buffon and Martin Caceres for Wednesday night’s game.
“We’ll check on Morata today and if the problem has passed he’ll be available for tomorrow. Mandzukic didn’t feel any pain during the game against Genoa, but he’s a player who never stops and light muscle fatigue was probably the cause of his injury. Thankfully I have Zaza and Dybala available who, despite possessing similar characteristics, could be a possible strike partnership.
“Soon we’ll have Marchisio and Khedira in contention, while Asamoah is back training with the squad and coming on well. As far as tomorrow is concerned, Neto will start ahead of Buffon and Caceres will also be rested. Martin’s international double-header took a lot out of him and he spent long spells of last season on the sidelines.”
