Andrea Pirlo hopes Juventus have ‘the same spirit’ against Genoa that they showed to beat Napoli, but Paulo Dybala is not ready to start yet.
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
The Bianconeri’s campaign is back on track after the win over Napoli, decided by Dybala off the bench, putting them in third place and just one point behind Milan in second.
Andrea Pirlo hopes Juventus have ‘the same spirit’ against Genoa that they showed to beat Napoli, but Paulo Dybala is not ready to start yet.
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
The Bianconeri’s campaign is back on track after the win over Napoli, decided by Dybala off the bench, putting them in third place and just one point behind Milan in second.
“It’s perhaps much easier to find the right spirit in a big match like Napoli, but we need the same attitude even against smaller clubs, starting from tomorrow,” said the coach in his press conference.
“We need to find some consistency and that means facing tomorrow’s game with ferocity. Beating Napoli is meaningless unless we follow it up with the same performance against Genoa.”
Some of Pirlo’s choices against Napoli raised eyebrows on Wednesday, including Gigi Buffon in goal.
“I can confirm Wojciech Szczesny will start tomorrow. I don’t think Paulo Dybala will start, because he was out for three months, so he needs another slightly longer spell as a substitute first.”
When asked if Dybala has a place in the future Juventus side, Pirlo remained vague.
“I’ve always said Dybala is an important player and unfortunately I haven’t had him at my disposal very much this season. Let’s look at the present, because that is more important than the future.
“He still has a year left on his contract, so we will have him here next season. Dybala is a player who makes the difference. I do hope to be able to use Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and Dybala together at some point. I can say it’s probable Dejan Kulusevski will start tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa has been perhaps the best performer in the Juve squad so far this term, certainly in recent weeks.
“Chiesa is excellent in one-on-one situations, but he can still improve in situations and controlling the tempo. He is hungry and eager to learn, which is wonderful to know.”