Massimiliano Allegri reveals Mattia Perin, Federico Chiesa and Daniele Rugani will start against Salernitana on Thursday and insists he’s not concerned by the January transfer window.
Juventus meet Salernitana twice this week. First in a Coppa Italia Round of 16 tie on Thursday night in Turin and then this coming Sunday at the Stadio Arechi in Serie A.
Allegri said during a pre-match press conference on Wednesday that he’s entirely focused on the upcoming cup game and urged the team to put in maximum commitment in tomorrow’s home match.
“I will decide on the line-up tomorrow. Perin will surely start, then Rugani and Chiesa. As for the others, we’ll see,” the Bianconeri coach said as quoted by Ilbianconero.com.
“Locatelli will be suspended on Sunday, we’ll field the same formation to obtain the maximum result. The stadium is sold out and games must be won on the pitch. We need to wait for tomorrow.
“At the beginning, nobody cares about the Coppa Italia, but at the end of the day, it’s still a trophy. Especially at Juventus, a draw is seen as a disaster, so we must win as many games as possible; we want to progress and meet Frosinone.
“Juventus have always cared about the Coppa Italia; we’ll face a team that has just beaten Verona; they are in good shape and will try to qualify for the quarter-finals.”
Allegri said Joseph Nonge Boende and Kenan Yildiz wouldn’t start against Salernitana but could be involved during the game.
The Italian tactician added that Yildiz could play alongside two other strikers at some point this season.
“Everything can be done, it depends on the players’ shape and the availability,” Allegri said.
“The team has found its identity; if we’re good enough, we’ll meet Frosinone in the next stage.”
The January window has just opened, but Allegri doesn’t seem concerned about transfer negotiations.
“The directors look at the market, we just need to focus on daily work,” he insisted.
“Pogba and Fagioli haven’t been available for four or five months and the team is improving, so we must continue.”
Allegri also revealed that Fabio Miretti won’t leave on loan this month despite interest from Monza and Salernitana.