Allegri & De Ligt: “It will be an important test”

Tomorrow the Bianconeri will take on reigning Champions League winners Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League group clash at Stamford Bridge, and speaking ahead of the game, both Massimiliano Allegri and Matthijs de Ligt took the mic to chat about the clash.

Here is what they had to say:

MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI

"Tomorrow we will play for first place with the team in the lead in the Premier League and that last year won the Champions League, so it will be a very important test for us.

"Danilo is out for two months. Kulusevski will be there, and Alex Sandro will definitely be back tomorrow. Dybala trained with the team and will be called up. We need to improve our conversion rate. We create important situations, but we are still making mistakes in the final third. Either Kean or Alvaro Morata will play. Or maybe both will be given a chance. Both did well against Lazio.

"Lukaku is a point of reference; without him Chelsea play with more speed. His presence changes the way the opposition defends."

MATTHIJS DE LIGT

"Playing at Stamford Bridge is a great thrill. Tomorrow we have to be compact, Chelsea are a strong team on the counterattack. It will be a tough match, but we will remain calm on the pitch. We have good players like Federico Chiesa and Alvaro Morata. Against smaller teams in the league, we have less space. We hope to finish the group on top, which is very important for us.

"Winning the Champions League with this jersey is a dream, not just for me, but for everyone. We are improving game after game, and we must continue like this. We have a different spirit now. We needed continuity, and now we are finding it. We understood that Juve needs to have the spirit of knowing how to suffer and wanting to die on the pitch, and I think that with Fiorentina and Lazio we have shown it.

"Lukaku is a great player, who makes the difference; but Chelsea, even without him, remains one of the strongest teams in Europe. The first leg match was good, for me and for the group - we played with maturity and passion."