Allegri and Bonucci media conference

06 November 2018

Massimiliano Allegri and Leonardo Bonucci held a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Juventus' Champions League Matchday 4 fixture against Manchester United. Read what they had to say below.

MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI

First target for the season

“We're doing well at the moment but you don't win any silverware at this stage of the season. Tomorrow we have the chance to reach our first target for the season by qualifying for the next round of the Champions League, then we'll be able to focus on Serie A. It's important to try and get to March in very good shape.”

Team selection

“[Mario] Mandzukic's ankle is ok and he's available. I didn't name him as a sub at the weekend [against Cagliari] because he would have had to climb up the steps... He's an extremely important player for us. “The players who aren't available are [Federico] Bernardeschi, Douglas Costa and [Moise] Kean, as well as Emre Can, who we hope to have back with us as soon as possible.“We might go with [Juan] Cuadrado, [Paulo] Dybala and [Cristiano] Ronaldo tomorrow, but I still have to make a decision on that. I also have to think about whether to rest any players like [Blaise] Matuidi, since [Sami] Khedira is in good shape and [Rodrigo] Bentancur is young and recovers quickly.”

Full focus

“Tomorrow we'll need to play better than we did in Manchester because United are always a threat. We must be completely focused as there's a lot on the line.”

LEONARDO BONUCCI

Man United and AC Milan in a week

“We have a huge match to play against Manchester United tomorrow. It's important because we can secure our place in the next round with a win. “We'll think about AC Milan after tomorrow evening. That will be another big game and an emotional occasion for me but right now I'm thinking of nothing but United.”

Mourinho's compliments

Bonucci responded to recent comments by Jose Mourinho that he and Giorgio Chiellini could teach defensive tactics at Harvard.“It's nice to get a compliment like that from a great coach but the success we've achieved over the years has been obtained thanks to the hard work of everyone. Defending is not only done by the defenders, just as attacking is not only down to the forwards.”

Friendship with Pogba

“Paul and I are still good friends. He's a great player and he told me he was really excited to be coming back to this stadium. I hope he plays very well but Juve win the game.”

Juve more experienced

“I think Juve are more confident and more experienced now than when I was here before and it's thanks to the excellent job done by the coach and the club.”