Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is not worried about injuries and says Leonardo Bonucci will be available against Sampdoria tomorrow but won’t start.
The Italy international is dealing with a flexor problem, so he won’t feature in the Bianconeri’s defence against the Blucerchiati tomorrow night.
It kicks off at 19.45 at Marassi.
“We’ll face a team that played well against Atalanta, creating chances and hitting the post twice, scoring one goal [disallowed],” Allegri said at a press conference. “It’s never easy to play at Marassi. There will be moments during the game where we’ll have to defend well. When the fans push them, it’s the most difficult time in the game.”
Bonucci isn’t fully fit, and many of his teammates have suffered muscle injuries lately, including Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria and Wojciech Szczesny. However, Allegri doesn’t seem worried about his players’ shape.
“There’s a lot of noise when there is a muscle injury for Juventus,” the coach said. “Di Maria has had an adductor problem, he will be out for a week, maybe ten days. Or he could be back earlier. I can do nothing for Pogba’s meniscus or McKennie’s shoulder injury.
“Szczesny had an adductor problem which can be solved. Mattia Perin is reliable, but injuries are part of the season.
“I am not worried,” the coach insisted. “We are working with intensity, we played three important games, and the rest of the team feels well. We have to work quietly to improve our shape and take a step at a time.”
Federico Gatti could make his Serie A debut replacing Bonucci tomorrow, but the ex-Frosinone man will battle for a starting spot with Daniele Rugani. The Tuscan boss joked about who he would pick.
“I am happy with Gatti, tomorrow one between him and Rugani will play. I’ll flip a coin, Gatti [cats in English] will play if a cat comes up. If it’s a dog, then it’s Rugani,” the boss smiling.
“Leo [Bonucci] had issues with his flexor during the break against Sassuolo on Monday. We’ve managed him this week, but I had already decided that he would not play tomorrow. He will travel with us and is available.”
How about Federico Chiesa? When will he return to action?
“Chiesa is progressing well. I’d be happy if he returns before the World Cup break. We can’t dream. I am pragmatic and realistic. Right now, I can’t rely on him and it’s normal.”
Allegri was asked his thoughts on the Serie A title and which team he sees as the favourite to win the Scudetto.
“We have to work hard, there are eight top teams: Milan, Inter, Napoli, Juventus, Lazio, Roma, Atalanta and Fiorentina,” he said.
“Milan are favourite on paper, Inter have brought in reinforcements, the season is long, and the next three months are important, but we must think about ourselves and improve our score. We can’t be favourites right now. We must work hard, be quiet and know that in order to win games, we have to suffer and don’t think that we’ll win easily only because we are Juventus.
“I watched Inter yesterday, they were strong last season and even stronger this year. But we should not think about others, we must think about improving and keeping this humility that we have. We need passion, sacrifice and technique, which is needed to play football.”
PhD Max will never have to worry about anything. There are still nearly 3 years left on his deal at a whopping £7M a term. All he has to do is produce 4th spot, 30 goals a season and reach the CL last round of 16.