Allegri confirms Juventus transform to 4-3-3 tactics

Max Allegri marks his 500^th Serie A game and confirms the switch of Juventus tactics to 4-3-3 against Lazio, though supporting recent ‘performances.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 17.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s five Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.

These teams will meet again in the Coppa Italia semi-final on April 2 and 23, so it is the first of several clashes between them.

“Enthusiasm is what allowed us to get those good results, so we must rediscover that. What we’ve been lacking recently is not so much the performances, but the results.

“We must work hard today, it is a difficult match and we must start winning again,” Allegri told DAZN.

There are suggestions he is finally succumbing to pressure by shelving the 3-5-2 for a 4-3-3 formation, although he could always use these same players in the old system too.

“We have Cambiaso and Chiesa who can help the defence, especially Cambiaso, but the most important thing is that when we don’t have the ball, we need to be solid the way we were in our most recent match.”

Dusan Vlahovic is suspended, with Arkadiusz Milik, Filip Kostic, Alex Sandro and Carlos Alcaraz injured, but Mattia De Sciglio returns 11 months after knee surgery.

It is also Allegri’s 500^th Serie A match and he has won 301 of them so far, yet his future on the Bianconeri bench remains a major doubt after a downturn in recent results.

“We are in a moment where after being close to Inter, two negative results saw us drop back. Above all, we lost some of the advantage over fifth place, as that is what really matters. We are still eight points clear of Roma with nine games to play,” assured the coach.

“Meanwhile, we have to take it one step at a time, with a good performance today and prepare for another important match on Tuesday.”