Gianluca Pessotto admits the Europa League Round of 16 draw was ‘tough’ for Juventus as Sporting CP eliminated Arsenal, but believes that the Old Lady’s opponents ‘are also worried.’
The Bianconeri beat Freiburg in the Europa League Round of 16, securing a 3-0 win on aggregate. They’ve been paired with Sporting CP who eliminated Arsenal on penalties on Thursday.
The winner will face Manchester United or Sevilla in the semi-final, while José Mourinho’s Roma are on the other side of the draw.
“It will be a nice game, surely against a strong opponent. They proved it yesterday eliminating Arsenal, one of the contenders for the victory. Sporting also come from the Champions League, so they’ll be willing to do well, like us,” Pessotto told Sky Sport Italia.
“The feeling is that it was a tough draw. Sporting are a young and strong team, they are in a good moment even if they are behind Benfica in the league. If we go ahead, we’ll meet Manchester United or Sevilla who are also strong but we are Juventus so we must fight until the end. Our opponents are surely worried as well.”
Juventus will see their appeal against the 15-point Serie A penalty presented to the CONI court of appeal on April 19, the day before the second leg in Portugal.
“At least it’s not on the same day,” said Pessotto smiling.
“The decision is not up to us, we must play regardless of the outcome, whether it’s positive or negative. What we do on the pitch is up to us. However, it’s good to have a ruling one month and a half before the end of the season, so we can prepare.”
Angel Di Maria has been struggling with injuries this season and the same is true for Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa. The Frenchman has only made two appearances this season, missing 34 matches so far and a new muscle injury means he won’t return to action before April.
“We are confident. Hopefully, we’ll get to these important games, including the Coppa Italia semi-final with Inter, with the full team available to be competitive. Due to different reasons, they [Chiesa, Pogba and Di Maria] never played together. Hopefully, they can help in the final part of the season.
“Di Maria and Pogba are important for Juventus, as other players, on and off the pitch. Their charisma helps everyone give their best,” concluded Pessotto.