Arrivabene: ‘Players must deserve to wear Juventus jersey’

CEO Maurizio Arrivabene has a stern warning for his team ahead of the Champions League trip to Benfica. ‘They must prove they deserve to wear the Juventus jersey.’

It kicks off at the Estadio da Luz at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Dinamo Zagreb-Milan on the LIVEBLOG.

The Bianconeri know failure to win here will mathematically rule them out of the Round of 16, so it’d become a battle with Maccabi Haifa for third place and entry to the Europa League play-offs.

“We are in it to win it. We didn’t take a three-hour flight here just to joke around,” Arrivabene told Sport Mediaset.

“The lads must be concentrated. We are missing six players, but this should be extra motivation for the team to fight all the way.

“The lads must prove they deserve to wear the Juventus jersey. We are all around the team, from the President to the full staff. We are in the second row, but if the strategy is good, we can finish ahead,” added the former Ferrari F1 chief.

“The President called on everyone to fulfil their responsibilities and be united looking to the future.”

Alex Sandro is the latest addition to the absentee list, although the hip problem doesn’t stop him being on the bench.

That means with Gleison Bremer also out, Federico Gatti is given his Champions League debut, having barely featured in Serie A this season since the transfer from Frosinone.

Moise Kean is also surprisingly preferred to Arkadiusz Milik upfront.

It has been a tough few days for Juventus, as the first stage of the investigation into potentially inflated profits from player sales has completed and moved to the next stage.

“As often happens in Italy, the trials are held first in the media and then in the courts. The club has clarified its position. I read the statement from our lawyers.

“As I said before, we respect everyone, but also want respect.”