‘Juventus need nerves of steel’

Massimiliano Allegri says his Juventus side will need nerves of steel if they are to beat Olympiacos and reignite their Champions League campaign.

The Bianconeri lost in Greece on their last Champions League outing, putting Olympiacos and Atletico Madrid in the driving seat as far as qualification is concerned.

Conventional wisdom would dictate that the Greek Champions may be happy with a draw in Turin tomorrow night, but Juve’s Coach expects a similar performance to the one in Athens.

Massimiliano Allegri says his Juventus side will need nerves of steel if they are to beat Olympiacos and reignite their Champions League campaign.

The Bianconeri lost in Greece on their last Champions League outing, putting Olympiacos and Atletico Madrid in the driving seat as far as qualification is concerned.

Conventional wisdom would dictate that the Greek Champions may be happy with a draw in Turin tomorrow night, but Juve’s Coach expects a similar performance to the one in Athens.

“I expect them to do more-or-less what they did in Athens,” Allegri told his pre-match Press conference.

“It’s us who will have to play differently, we have to be better on a technical level because in Athens we had many poor passages of play, particularly in the first half, and we’re at home so we have to play with greater intensity.

“Having said that, we have 95 minutes to win the game, so we shouldn’t get anxious or hurried.

“It will take a lot of patience, and we will need to have nerves of steel and use all the time that we have available to bring home the result which matters to us.”

Having lost 1-0 in the away fixture, the Old Lady would need a 2-0 victory or better tomorrow night to gain a head-to-head advantage over the Greek side, which could prove crucial should the two finish level on points.

Allegri is adamant however, that the first priority is simply to win.

“It’s important that we win first of all, then maybe try to win by two goals as it would be important if it comes down to head-to-head.

“But for now let’s just see if we can win, then we’ll think about winning by two goals because it’s by no means simple.”

The Bianconeri were heavily criticised in the wake of the Olympiacos defeat for failing to impose themselves on the game in the first half, an issue which has been increasingly discussed about the Scudetto winners all season.

“In regard to us playing better in the second half I think that’s true,” Allegri conceded.

“But it’s proof that we have a good team, because it’s a team which grows into games in the second half.

“As I’ve often said, I’d like to win every game in the first half, but sometimes this doesn’t happen, and having a team which plays right up until the 95th minute, and always increases the pace in the second half is very important, particularly because other teams tend to drop off a bit in the second half.”