Pavel Nedved expects a ‘very motivated’ Juventus against Cagliari after their Derby d’Italia defeat, warning contract discussions come second to results. ‘There’s no sense talking about the future now.’

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Serie A Liveblog: Empoli-Spezia, Inter-Verona, Cagliari-Juventus

The Bianconeri were beaten 1-0 at home by Inter to effectively end their Scudetto dreams, so their only focus now is securing a top four finish and Champions League qualification. Could it have a psychological blowback on the team against Cagliari?

“We expect a very motivated team, because we can never be satisfied or happy, especially after zero goals and zero points in the last match,” Nedved told Sky Sport Italia.

The vice-president was asked if meetings were planned for the contract extensions of players who are set to become free agents, such as Juan Cuadrado and Federico Bernardeschi, after Paulo Dybala was already told he can leave?

“I don’t think there’s any sense talking about the future or contract extensions right now, because we need to stay focused on the minimum objective, which is fourth place. We haven’t achieved that yet and it’s going to be difficult. We also have a Coppa Italia semi-final to play, so these are the objectives of the club.”

Max Allegri said he disliked compliments and would prefer to win ugly than get a good performance only to drop points.

“I don’t know what compliments the coach heard, because I’ve never heard compliments after a defeat. The victory counts more than anything, especially in Italy, as I know I’ve been here for over 20 years,” noted Nedved.

“The coach likes to be practical and concrete, so we all have regrets at the result, as we have victory in the DNA of Juventus and are trying to get that back.”

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