20 May 2016
A scorer in last year’s showpiece on this very day in 2015 and a mainstay in a seemingly impenetrable Juventus defence for the past five seasons, who better to preview Saturday’s Coppa Italia final meeting with Milan at the Stadio Olimpico than Giorgio Chiellini?
Chiellini, like the rest of his Bianconeri colleagues, is no stranger to the big occasion and in the eyes of the towering defender, his team’s enjoyment of cup finals and title-deciding encounters has been just reward for the hard work put in by the Old Lady in past half-decade.
As a result, there should be no shortage of motivation for a group that is on the brink of doing what no other Italian side has done before: winning back-to-back league and cup doubles.
Previewing the encounter, he began, “Juventus have been contesting finals regularly for the last few years and that has been the fruit of some excellent work from all involved at the club. As a player, you live to play in important fixtures like this one and to lift as many trophies as possible.
“If anything, winning here would mean more to us than Milan. While they will want to end the campaign on a high with some silverware and secure European football for next season, we are on the brink of doing what no other team has done before.”
Naturally then, when quizzed on his team’s hunger to regain their Coppa Italia crown in the capital, Chiellini’s answer was clear: “no one gets tired of being successful.”
“Claiming five league titles in a row doesn’t happen by chance and is proof of our unwavering desire to be the best. No one gets tired of being successful and we will demonstrate that tomorrow night by going all out to make sure we return home champions.”
Turning attentions to preparations for the match itself, the 31-year old acknowledged that as with any final, the outcome of tomorrow’s affair remains unpredictable in spite of the relative differences between Juventus and the Rossoneri in Serie A this term.
"We are in for a very difficult tie tomorrow and I fully expect it to be a very balanced encounter,” he added. “When you get to a final all of your efforts over the course of the season in a way are no longer relevant, all that matters is what you do in that 90 minutes on the night.
“We’ve worked with great intensity over the past two weeks and we hope we can transfer the good work we’ve done on the training ground onto the pitch.
“This competition means everything to us given what is at stake and we want to make more history by winning a domestic double for the second year in a row. The boys can’t wait to get out there and do what we came here to do.”
