Coach Thiago Motta claimed Juventus will aim to ‘get a result’ against Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday despite respecting their opponents, as the Bianconeri hope to immediately bounce back from their European defeat against Stuggart two weeks ago.
The Old Lady’s manager warned there are ‘no favourites’ but insisted that his team are ‘determined’ to make a ‘great’ display against the Ligue 1 outfit.
Douglas Luiz is back in the squad after returning from injury, as Nico Gonzalez, Arkadiusz Milik and long-term injured Bremer remain the only names on the treatment table.
Motta: Juventus ready for ‘great performance’ against Lille, I believe in my philosophy
“As always, we have great respect for our opponents, Lille,” Motta told Sky Sport Italia ahead of Tuesday’s game, as quoted by TMW.
“The important thing is to be consistent, perform, and strive to improve every day, every game.
Matches help build the awareness that we must always give something extra to compete. Lille are in good shape; we go onto the pitch with respect but also aiming to get a result.”
“All matches are important. As Juventus, we want to win every time.
The most important thing is to keep trying to improve. Lille are very confident, and we want to face them in the best possible shape. We want to give more than our best.”
The Bianconeri looked particularly under-par in the last Champions League match against Stuggart, which marked their only defeat of the season so far. Such a poor display was surprising after their 3-2 win at Leipzig in the previous round, but Motta noted they are still in an ongoing process.
“We are always learning and improving,” the coach added at a pre-match press conference.
“We need to go onto the field determined to put in a great performance. They are confident, but we are also in good shape.”
Theun Koopmeiners made his return from injury in Juventus’ last two Serie A fixtures and Motta admitted he’s ‘important’ to the team, also adding Douglas Luiz’s return can help raise the level in the training sessions during the week.
“Against Udinese, I saw the whole team doing well on the field,” Motta noted.
“He [Koopmeiners] is an important player for us, like many others. The win was nice, but it’s in the past now—we keep going on this path and aim to put in a good performance.
“Yes, tomorrow we will be missing Milik, Bremer, and Nico Gonzalez, but everyone else is available.
“This is important for raising the level and competition throughout the week, so we all grow and improve together, approaching matches in the right way. We need to be present from the first to the last minute tomorrow.”
Asked about the several changes he’s been making to his formation recently, Motta explained to fully ‘believe’ in his own philosophy.
“It can be risky, but it also might not be. I don’t see it that way.
“Everyone has their own philosophy. I believe in mine 200%. As long as I’m here, decisions will be made based on the current situation.”