Massimiliano Allegri reveals Paul Pogba is available against Sporting CP and confirms that he argued with Leandro Paredes on Monday but appreciated the midfielder’s reaction.
The Bianconeri host Sporting at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Wednesday in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.
“They are a technical team, very well organised and with a young coach who won the title for the first time in 19 years. We must have great respect, but tomorrow it’s only the first step,” Allegri said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“We would be crazy to underestimate Sporting, they are different from 2017, they eliminated Arsenal who are the Premier League leaders.”
Alex Sandro and Dusan Vlahovic trained with the rest of the team on Wednesday morning and will be available tomorrow. The same is true of Pogba who has only played 35 minutes for the Old Lady this term.
“Alex Sandro and Vlahovic are available, but not De Sciglio. Dusan can also play for 90 minutes, tomorrow he’s available,” confirmed Allegri.
“Paul has been called up, we’ll see tomorrow. It’s important that he completed a few training sessions with the team without stopping. It would be important to have him at his best in the final part of the season. There’s a long way to go still.
“I’ll decide on the line-up tomorrow. We must play as a unit, be balanced and know that the game is played across 180 minutes. We have to win. Chiesa? Let’s see tomorrow, it doesn’t depend on the formation.”
A few Juventus players have looked irritable lately, especially last week after a 1-1 draw against Inter in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semis.
“What happened against Inter was not pleasant to see, negative things are always highlighted in Italy, but it’s normal,” admitted Allegri.
“We are sorry for what happened the other night, starting from Cuadrado. These are not nice things to see.
“There is always pressure at Juventus, we must continue working on the pitch. This is an important month. If we qualify, we have two semifinals and 27 points to play for in Serie A,” he continued.
“As Danilo said, all situations must become an opportunity. Like it or not, we’ve earned 59 points on the pitch, let’s see how many we’ll get in the final nine games, what happens off the pitch should not concern the lads, for now, we are second in Serie A.”
Allegri confirmed that he had confronted Paredes on Monday after an open training session at Continassa. The Argentina international is unhappy with his playing time and Gazzetta reported that after the argument with his coach on Monday, he didn’t remain at the club training centre for a team lunch.
“We ate well, it was a great day,” said Allegri.
“There was a chat with Leandro, we wanted him at all costs and I understand the frustration, it’s part of the game. What matters the most is that everyone’s focused on the last 60 days of the season. I based my decisions on the team’s good. I trust those who are available. I am happy he had this reaction, it means that he wants to do well in the last two months.”
Six Serie A clubs are still involved in European competitions, including Juventus. Inter beat Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, while Milan and Napoli meet tonight at San Siro.
Juventus had lost both games against Benfica during the Champions League group stage.
“It’s easy to win a game, but not so easy to win a competition,” said Allegri when asked about Juventus’ chances of winning the Europa League this season.
“Winning is always extraordinary, not normal. Europa League is a difficult competition, and playing the Final would be a great success, but four games are remaining and we have to start with the first one tomorrow.
“I am happy with what Inter did yesterday and Milan-Napoli is good for Italian football. We deserve to be here and we’ll do our best to return to the Champions League, but I am not surprised by the results of Italian clubs.”