Sassuolo striker Simone Zaza was linked with Juventus in January, but is “not afraid of the challenge.”
The Neroverdi visit the Juventus Stadium in Serie A this weekend.
“It is well known that I am a player who Juve are tracking, so obviously many people will watch the game – and me – in a certain way,” said Zaza in a Press conference.
“However, it would not be right of respectful towards my teammates to limit the match to this aspect. Without them, I would not have improved this way.
Sassuolo striker Simone Zaza was linked with Juventus in January, but is “not afraid of the challenge.”
The Neroverdi visit the Juventus Stadium in Serie A this weekend.
“It is well known that I am a player who Juve are tracking, so obviously many people will watch the game – and me – in a certain way,” said Zaza in a Press conference.
“However, it would not be right of respectful towards my teammates to limit the match to this aspect. Without them, I would not have improved this way.
“I do not see it as the game of a lifetime, nor am I experiencing this build-up week in an obsessive way.
“I am a player who is strong when in good shape, but I do not feel at the top of my game, nor do I consider myself a champion. I know that I must improve in many areas.
“It is stimulating to play against a team of champions and I am not afraid of the challenge. It will be difficult, but nothing is impossible and with a bit of luck we already held Juventus this season.”
In fact, Zaza even pledged to shave off his beard if he found the net in this game.
Sassuolo certainly need a boost, as they were hammered 3-0 on home turf by Lazio on Sunday.
“Facing Juventus certainly isn’t the best fixture to have right now. Having said that, we were in a negative spell earlier this season when we played Juve and after that draw we turned things around.
“Obviously it’s a difficult match, as we are playing against the best team in the League. We have to try, as we always have done.
“When we’re in shape, we can trouble anyone. Of course, to get a result we’d need to be perfect and they’d have to make some mistakes.”