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Allegri wary of ‘risky’ Porto tie

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Allegri wary of ‘risky’ Porto tie
Allegri wary of ‘risky’ Porto tie
Allegri wary of ‘risky’ Porto tie

Porto: top opponents 

“Tomorrow’s match poses more risks than may initially meet the eye, first and foremost because, in football, you can never take anything for granted.

“Furthermore, I’ve few doubts that Porto will play an excellent game: let’s not forget how they fared in the Champions League play-off away to Roma in the summer when they managed to qualify comfortably even though their opponents had the upper hand after the first leg.

“They’re a team brimming with experience at this level and they know how to take full advantage of any chances that come their way.

“Therefore, tomorrow we must make sure that we dictate proceedings. We need to treat this like a ‘winner takes all’ match, without thinking about our 2-0 lead and doing what’s necessary in order to secure another victory in this tie.”

Team news for tomorrow

“Everybody is in good nick except for Sturaro, who should be back in time for the away game at Sampdoria, but I need to manage my resources carefully given the vast amount of energy we used up on Friday against Milan.

“Marchisio will start against Porto and there’ll be just two midfielders on the pitch, meaning one of Khedira and Pjanic will partner him.

“Meanwhile in defence, I still need to make a call on Chiellini’s involvement tomorrow. There are just two positions I’m unsure about and that’s at right-back and centre-back.”

Entering Europe’s elite

“We’re duty-bound to reach the next round of the Champions League and count ourselves among the top eight teams in Europe.

“We need to feel like we belong there and that we have what it takes to ultimately win this magical competition.”

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