25 August 2017
THREE POINTS A PRIORITY
“Tomorrow is a match we need to win. Playing at the Marassi is never straightforward and we’ve often found life tough there, no less than last season when we conceded three goals in 27 minutes.
“I expect to see Genoa fighting for every inch tomorrow. They’re a completely different animal at home than they are on their travels. We can’t afford to be off colour like we were there last November.”
SQUAD OPTIONS FOR SATURDAY
“It’s a pity that Claudio Marchisio is out of action, as he was on the road to recovery and now instead he needs a few weeks off for specialist training.
“Kwadwo Asamoah is not available for Genoa. He is currently evaluating his future with the club.
“I’ll field four at the back for tomorrow’s match, but I still need to decide whether to go with two or three players in midfield. Maybe we’ll change to a three-man defence at some point. I’m not ruling anything out with this group at my disposal.”
NEW BOYS BEDDING IN WELL
“Douglas Costa is integrating well into this group, as are Blaise Matuidi and Rodrigo Bentancur, who is really very talented and has developed his game a lot in these two months at Juventus. He can be a revelation for us this season.
“Federico Bernardeschi has also improved a lot and Mattia De Sciglio is rediscovering that confidence, as he possesses plenty of quality.”
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP D
“The match against Barcelona will be a fascinating affair. Playing away first can actually be an advantage, as to win there would put us in a very strong position to qualify for the knockout stages.
“The away trips to Athens and Lisbon will be decisive too, as we’ll be taking on teams with good pedigree, who have taken part in the Champions League a number of times.
“In the meantime, however, we’re focused on getting three points tomorrow in Genoa and we’ll talk about Europe later.”
