Juventus stand-in Coach Massimo Carrera welcomes Nicklas Bendtner, prepares to face “wounded” Udinese on Sunday and blasts Dimitar Berbato
Juventus stand-in Coach Massimo Carrera welcomes Nicklas Bendtner, prepares to face “wounded” Udinese on Sunday and blasts Dimitar Berbatov.
Antonio Conte’s assistant is on the bench during the 10-month ban in the betting scandal and held a Press conference this morning.
“We will face a wounded Udinese side that is smarting from the Champions League play-off elimination,” said Carrera.
“We know the strength of this club. They can put us under real pressure if we don’t go out there with the right frame of mind.”
The Stadio Friuli fixture kicks off at 17.00 UK time on Sunday, click here for a match preview.
“Gigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini are fit and have been training regularly, so they are part of the squad. Will Chiellini start? He could do, as he has been training all week, but we will decide today.”
New signing Bendtner, on loan from Arsenal with option to buy, is unlikely to feature over the weekend.
“We will settle him in slowly. He still needs to do some tests so we can ascertain his fitness levels. We will also make the most of the break for international duty and his ban to work with him in training.
“He does fit our requirements for a striker, even if due to the financial crisis we were unable to buy the players who we tracked for a long time. We need humility and desire to work. We can and must improve.”
One of the candidates for the role was Berbatov, who on Wednesday gave both Fiorentina and Juventus the run-around before signing for Fulham. It’s even reported the Bulgarian tried to revive the transfer to the Viola while he was undergoing a medical in London.
“It’s the first time I have seen a situation like that,” confessed Carrera. “Seeing what happened, perhaps it is better that he did not join us, as we are talking about an unreliable player.”
Juve’s Champions League group includes Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Nordsjaellandin.
Their first opponents, Chelsea, were humiliated 4-1 by Atletico Madrid in the European Super Cup last night.
“Chelsea did show some problems in defence, but they remain the reigning champions. We must understand what their defects are so we can face them in the best possible way. We are happy to be back in the Champions League and will do everything to become protagonists again.”