Salernitana coach Davide Nicola sees Max Allegri’s ‘strategy’ for motivating Juventus in tomorrow’s match and confirms Ivan Radovanovic has been frozen out of the squad.
It kicks off at the Stadio Arechi on Tuesday at 19.45 GMT.
Following the 15-point penalty for inflating transfer fees, Allegri described this game as a ‘relegation battle’ for the Bianconeri against a side that barely managed to stay in the division last season.
“Everyone has their strategy for motivating a team and the virtual situation Juventus find themselves in can be described as challenging for safety, but we are still talking about a side that won eight games in a row without conceding a single goal,” responded Nicola in his press conference.
“I see it as an intriguing game and I want to see the progress we already showed against Lecce, especially our solidity and desire to help each other out on the field.
“I am convinced that Juventus will know how to concentrate and not think about other situations. We have the qualities to cause them problems and are ready to accept any result, as long as we know we’ve given 100 per cent.”
The last few days of the transfer window were chaotic for Salernitana, with many coming and going, but also a failed deal with Verona for Simone Verdi that missed the deadline by minutes.
“A player like Verdi would’ve been useful, it’s a pity that the move didn’t go through, but I like the current squad. I already knew William Troost-Ekong very well, Domen Crnigoj had already been close to Salernitana in the summer and is already settling in.”
There was also drama around Radovanovic, who was frozen out of the squad after making 10 Serie A appearances this season.
“Ivan represents someone who gave so much to this team, but there are club strategies that can change over time. We faced many adventures together and will remain friendly after the season is over. That’s just the way it went.”
There will be a special moment before kick-off tomorrow to remember former Juventus left-back Andrea Fortunato, who was from Salerno.
He died at the age of 23 in April 1995 after he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
“I worked with him at Genoa and the year after he went to Juventus. He was really a lovely guy and it’ll be an honour to commemorate him in Salerno,” said Nicola.