19 January 2016
Stefano Pioli has already had his dreams of winning a domestic cup competition dashed twice within the last year by the Bianconeri, but Lazio’s manager was in no mood to dwell on what might have been, instead focusing on what it will take to make it third time lucky against Massimiliano Allegri’s men in Wednesday evening’s Coppa Italia quarter-final clash at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Speaking to the media at the club’s training ground in Formello, the 50-year-old began: “There’s no doubt whatsoever regarding what a strong side Juventus are. They’re going extremely well at the moment, but no team is unbeatable.
“In the many times that we’ve crossed paths, we’ve always learnt something new. What is certain is that tomorrow our approach to the match needs to be spot on and we need to take our chances.
“Playing with conviction and determination for the full 90 minutes is paramount. We’ll have to be solid and compact, without letting them capitalise on any potential mistakes we make.”
The Biancocelesti boast a fine record in the Coppa Italia, having won it on six occasions, and Pioli stated it was their intention to seal a seventh title this term in order to secure continental football for a second successive season at the Stadio Olimpico.
“Winning the Coppa Italia is one of our objectives this season. It’s a way of qualifying for Europe, which is where we want to be.
“We want to lift a trophy, but we’re only at the start of our journey and we’ve all the necessary qualities to be able to bring home silverware in the future.”
Wrapping up the press conference, Pioli shed light on who might be lining up tomorrow evening, emphasising the strength in depth he now has at his disposal in attack.
“We have plenty of options going forward and I’ll field those who are best suited to a single, knockout encounter. Miroslav (Klose) did well in the last match (against Bologna) and helped us fight back to claim a point, Senad (Lulic) also played his part. (Felipe) Anderson is doing the right things and he’ll get his chance tomorrow, while I’m expecting (Alessandro) Matri to be able to make a positive contribution on the pitch, in the same way that I’m counting on all the others to put in a strong shift.”
