Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri confirms Angel Di Maria is available for Wednesday’s match against Lecce, but Adrien Rabiot and Alex Sandro will likely rest.
The Bianconeri host Lecce at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday at 17:00 UK time. Allegri’s men have three defeats and a draw in the last four Serie A matches and have only scored three goals in the last six games across all competitions.
Di Maria was not available in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Bologna at the Stadio Dall’Ara due to an ankle injury, but reports in Italy suggested El Fideo had refused to travel with the team because he knew he wouldn’t start.
“Di Maria feels better, he no longer feels pain in his ankle and tomorrow he could be involved,” Allegri said at a press conference. “We expect a lot from him and the others. Of course, Di Maria can make the difference in a game.”
Allegri is expected to rotate against Lecce as the Old Lady will play three games in barely a week with two Serie A fixtures and the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals against Sevilla on May 11.
“Rabiot played well in Bologna, but he will probably rest in the next match,” admitted the coach.
Read more – Allegri’s updates on Di Maria and Rabiot’s futures
“Bremer needed to rest [against Bologna]. This is the first season he plays a game every three days. It’s not always easy, but tomorrow he’ll be back. I think Alex Sandro will rest [against Lecce] because he’s played a lot so we need fresh energy.
“Six games are remaining, we still have a little advantage, we are one point behind Lazio and reaching them must be our target,” continued Allegri.
Juventus secured a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture at the Stadio Via Del Mare with Nicolò Fagioli scoring the winner and his first goal for the Bianconeri senior team.
“He has to improve, like any footballer,” said Allegri when asked about the midfielder’s developments. Every footballer must work to improve until the end of their career. Fagioli has improved a lot. I replaced him against Bologna not because he deserved it, but because I needed players with different characteristics. He had played a good game.”
Juventus only won two games in April, so how does Allegri explain such poor form?
“We had won many games in February and March. We were involved in three competitions until last week, which means the season is going well,” he claimed.
“Of course, Juventus need victories. I don’t want to repeat what I said the other day, but there isn’t only one [team] winning in sports. It’s impossible to win and lose at all times. We’ve lost many times lately, so our target is to win tomorrow.”
The press conference ended with a question about Manuel Locatelli, who has had highs and lows this term: “He played an excellent game in Bologna. Then, players can’t be at their best in every game,” argued Allegri.
“Manuel is always available for the team, even when he doesn’t have a good day technically, defensively he is always there.”