Luciano Spalletti recently spoke about the forthcoming game against Juventus: “Florenzi, Nura, Paredes, and Lobont are not available. Vermaelen, Peres and Totti will be evaluated today. Salah is with the group, and will be available because he is the type of player that has a tremendous acceleration and this has not diminished.”
“Little will change whether or not Dybala plays. They have technical and physical strength. If Mandzukic and Higuain play, which is what I expect, then it will become a game with many physical battles. With respect to this aspect, they never get anything wrong. For us, our analysis of the game is simple: it is a fundamental match. If we go to Turin hoping for a tie, we will certainly lose. We are a strong team and must measure ourselves against them, demonstrating our own abilities. Our objective is to transform our next Serie A encounter with them into a very important match.”
“They will want to control the match and put the pressure of playing in their stadium on us. Allegri is a great coach. It is easy to say that with great players winning is simple, but that is not the case. You must know how to utilize them, control them, and also to allow them to express themselves. Then it is obvious that when you can put Pjanic and Dybala on at the end of a game, it is different than putting on other players. He also has a lot of class as he is willing to take a joke without offense. We are friends, as I am with Pjanic and with all of our locker room.”
“Technology is important. It is should be used in the right way. We must pinpoint the best ways to use technology. I have a favorable opinion of the use of the video assistant referee. It is clear that in individual instances there are always things that require further review. Is winning the match against Juve our only hope for the scudetto? I do not believe you should ever say there is no chance. It is certainly a fundamental match, and a defeat would render things difficult, but still possible. We must take advantage of the opportunity tomorrow night’s game affords us.”
“Pjanic came to us already in the match against Torino where we ate together. Every time he speaks with one of the players they pass me the phone. When he was at Roma he gave a lot; he is a true champion. We improved the defense. We do not have to tell the entire world what our intentions are; we must show them on Saturday night. Dzeko along with Higuain will compete to be the top scorer in Serie A.”
