ALLEGRI: “IMPORTANT WE SCORE”

Massimiliano Allegri set the stage for the first leg of the Frecciarossa Coppa Italia semi-final tomorrow, Wednesday, 2 March. Juventus take on Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi stadium at 21h00 CET. 

AWAY GOAL

“It’s always good to play in Florence. It’s a tie over two legs, so it’s important we score tomorrow because the away-goals rule still applies this season in the cup. Fiorentina play an intense style of football. I expect a high-tempo match.”

VLAHOVIC’S RETURN

“Dusan Vlahovic will always be grateful for what Fiorentina and Florence have given him. They helped make him who is today. He’s obviously emotional about his return to the ground where he grew up in Serie A."

INJURY UPDATE

“Over the length and breadth of a season there are always injuries, so I am not worried about the current situation. Mattia De Sciglio is ready to play, while Leonardo Bonucci has had two days’ complete rest. He’s not available, having featured in the last two matches after coming back from injury.

“Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi are expected back on Thursday to be ready for the weekend’s match. Daniele Rugani is also on the road to recovery, but Giorgio Chiellini is still out.

“Alex Sandro needs another 10 days, while we’re hoping on having Denis Zakaria available for the return leg with Villarreal in the Champions League.”

YOUTH SUPPORT

“We have three or four youngsters ready to step up. Diego Stramaccioni has been called up to the first team beside Matias Soulé, Fabio Miretti and Marley Aké. Miretti is a good player but he needs to gain experience on the pitch. However, one between Soulé, Aké and Miretti will play.”

FRONT THREE

“Moise Kean always finds himself in the position to score. He played well against Empoli at the weekend, while Dusan has given a sense of serenity to the team because with a player like him on the pitch, we know we will eventually score.

"Two between Kean, Vlahovic and Morata will play. We need to make an effort from today to March 20 to come back after the international break with fresh legs for the remainder of the season.”

SWITCHED ON

“We need to improve one aspect of our game. We’ve lost too many needless goals lately, which means we relaxed too much during the matches. We can’t switch off at the back as we’ve done in the past couple of games. When we don’t perceive any risks, we become a danger to ourselves. We need to keep our attention at all times.”