Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri pointed out Roma’s away form and has revealed that he might rest Cristiano Ronaldo in the Coppa Italia. “I haven’t decided”.
Roma visit Allianz Stadium and have a poor record away to Juventus, but the coach takes nothing for granted against a “strong” Giallorossi.
That said, he admitted that Ronaldo could get some rest, but only if he didn’t feel up for the task.
Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri pointed out Roma’s away form and has revealed that he might rest Cristiano Ronaldo in the Coppa Italia. “I haven’t decided”.
Roma visit Allianz Stadium and have a poor record away to Juventus, but the coach takes nothing for granted against a “strong” Giallorossi.
That said, he admitted that Ronaldo could get some rest, but only if he didn’t feel up for the task.
“We will evaluate Cristiano,” Sarri said at a press conference. “If he is well, he can play three games in a week. I don’t see it as a problem. The important thing is that he feels like he’s able to do it.
“Last Wednesday, we got him ready, let’s see for tomorrow.”
The League match at the Olimpico ended in a 2-1 win against the Giallorossi, but Sarri has claimed that Roma are even better away this term.
“You only need to look at the results Roma are getting away from home,” Sarri said. “It’s difficult, they’ve claimed more points on the road than at home. They’re a team of a great level and will give us a complicated task.
“If we think we can play the game without suffering, we are far from realistic. They’re a strong team. Tomorrow we will need to have a good game.”
Douglas Costa could start the game for the Old Lady, but the coach is worried about the balance of his team.
“I think so [that Douglas Costa will play]. The important thing is to find order on the pitch,” he said. “We have to stay balanced with so many attacking players.
“He is doing well now. We have avoided certain impacts because he is at risk of injuries at the moment. The extremely positive aspect is that he has found continuity in training.
“We have to invent something. Today, we had a light training. Tomorrow morning we will decide. I haven’t decided anything, neither who plays nor the formation.”
Sarri is not sure if Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro can play but reassures that none of the two are seriously injured.
“Cuadrado had fever, and we've kept him in the gym. Alex Sandro has nothing serious, but we need to evaluate. I think it’s possible to recover him.”
But the former Napoli and Chelsea coach remains focused on the next game and doesn’t want to look too far ahead.
“The games are so unpredictable, and you can’t programme it for too many of your players,” he said. “The important game is against Napoli, but we don’t assess five or six players, we can do it with one.”
Roma are without suspended Bosnia international Edin Dzeko and Sarri has admitted that he’s “difficult to replace”.
“It’s difficult to replace him, even if [Nikola] Kalinic is a very good player player.”
Gonzalo Higuain came in off the bench last weekend and could get the nod against Roma.
“He was particularly alive in training today,” Sarri said. “He is an important player. For balance reasons, he plays together with the other two or with one of them. Lately he has been less frequent in the penalty area, but he is a player of an unusual calibre.”