Max Allegri explains why he has decided to start Angel Di Maria, Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic together for Juventus against Fiorentina. ‘They are in good shape.’
It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 17.00 GMT.
After much talk in the media, Allegri has finally unleashed the ‘super-trident’ of Di Maria, Chiesa and Vlahovic in the starting XI, particularly telling seeing as two of them are former Fiorentina stars.
“You talked about the trident, because it’s fun to chat at a bar without responsibility. I think the team can do well today against a strong side like Fiorentina, we need to take it one step at a time to climb back up the hill and above all get back on track at home,” the coach told DAZN.
“At this moment, also because there are few midfielders available and the forwards are in good shape, that gives us more of an opportunity to play with three upfront. In any case, the team must always maintain a balance and have the right approach.”
Juan Cuadrado pulled out at the last minute with flu symptoms, with Leandro Paredes not fully fit either, while Paul Pogba, Arkadiusz Milik, Fabio Miretti and Leonardo Bonucci are injured.
Due to the 15-point penalty for artificially inflating transfer fees to boost capital gains, this s also a head-to-head for position, as the Bianconeri are only two points ahead of their bitter rivals.
Both teams have qualified for the Coppa Italia semi-finals too, with the Viola to face Cremonese and Juve enter the Derby d’Italia with Inter.
“I expect Fiorentina to be aggressive, very talented, they never drop their heads and we must remember that we’ve only managed one point from the last two home games, so that has to change.”