Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri warns “in a one-off game anything can happen” ahead of the Coppa Italia final against Milan.
The Bianconeri are champions of Italy for the fifth season in a row, while Cristian Brocchi’s side struggled to a seventh-place finish.
“We’re aware that it’s a final, and everything is reset to zero,” Allegri cautioned when asked about his side’s favourites tag in the pre-match Press conference.
Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri warns “in a one-off game anything can happen” ahead of the Coppa Italia final against Milan.
The Bianconeri are champions of Italy for the fifth season in a row, while Cristian Brocchi’s side struggled to a seventh-place finish.
“We’re aware that it’s a final, and everything is reset to zero,” Allegri cautioned when asked about his side’s favourites tag in the pre-match Press conference.
“In a one-off game anything can happen. Among other things we’ll be facing a Milan team facing their last chance to play in the Europa League next season, and who finished the League with a bad game against Roma.
“Tomorrow we’ll encounter a totally different team, so we’ll have to be very good.
“Regardless of how they play – whether it’s three up-front or a different formation – Milan will have a reaction and I think that’s normal.
“So I think it’ll be a balanced game where we have to be aggressive, because Milan have a quality squad, with players like [Carlos] Bacca who scored a lot of goals in the League and is always dangerous.
“[Giacomo] Bonaventura has become a top player, [Keisuka] Honda has been criticised, but he’s always given his contribution to the team. [Riccardo] Montolivo, [Juraj] Kucka… They’re a team who can play very well when they’re organised and have the right edge.
“Besides that, we had two balanced games with Milan, so I don’t see why tomorrow should be an easy game.
“There’s no such thing as an easy final.
“We have to play a good game. We must be switched on and organised and above all we have to play well technically, because in one-off games the play of individuals who can make the difference becomes essential.”
The Old Lady advanced to the final on penalties, having thrown away a 3-0 first leg lead in the semi-final against Inter, is that a lesson for tomorrow?
“I haven’t reminded them of that, because tomorrow is a one-off game. What I reminded them – and what I’ll remind them tomorrow – is that we’ll find a Milan who will be fierce and who want to win the game as much as we do.
“So we can’t be presumptuous and superficial, we have to play as a great team.
“Tomorrow is a game apart, it’s the last game of the season. We have a duty to try and win, it would be an extraordinary achievement because no team has won the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia twice in a row.
“So that’s another incentive for us, and another reason to play a great game.
“We hope the result goes in our favour, but the important thing is to play a great game and to be prepared and up for it, because we’re coming off a month where we had a few weeks with nothing to play for.”