01 October 2016
On the back of three straight wins in all competitions, the Bianconeri go into Sunday’s early kick-off clash at the Stadio Carlo Castellani with form on their side, but Massimiliano Allegri warned against his charges resting on their laurels as they look to put three more points on the board before October’s international break commences next week.
Here are the boss’ key quotations from today’s press conference at the club’s Media Center in Vinovo:
On our toes in Tuscany
“We need to go into Sunday’s game with the right approach. We can’t afford to slip up, as that would ruin a whole month’s work. After the international break, we’ve crucial matches in the Champions League as well as in Serie A against Milan and Napoli, so it’s important that we finish this run of fixtures in the best way possible.
“We can expect a tricky game at the Castellani due to the lunchtime kick-off time and Empoli’s good recent performances. Tomorrow’s match could well be similar to last season’s at Carpi, when we ultimately risked denting our strong run up to Christmas.”
Points the priority
“The most important thing is that we take all three points and I consider it logical that they need to be gained courtesy of a quality performance. We need to be efficient and clinical as we were in Zagreb, where I saw far more zip in our build-up play in contrast to the previous match at Palermo. The boys, nonetheless, are aware of just how crucial tomorrow’s game is against Empoli.”
Options increasing
“I’ve not made a final decision on the formation yet. Juan Cuadrado could feature, Miralem Pjanic is in good shape, while Hernanes has been playing well in the deep-lying midfield role.
“Our options are increasing in the middle of the park with Sami Khedira, Mario Lemina and Stefano Sturaro vying for berths, while we await the return of Claudio Marchisio.”
