SOCCER-CHAMPIONS/JUVENTUS Juventus look to regain their form against Manchester City

Record ID: 139908

  • Title: SOCCER-CHAMPIONS/JUVENTUS Juventus look to regain their form against Manchester City
  • Date: 14th September 2015
  • Summary: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UK (SEPTEMBER 14, 2015) (REUTERS) MANCHESTER CITY AND JUVENTUS BRANDING JUVENTUS MANAGER MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI WALKING ONTO THE ETIHAD STADIUM PITCH JUVENTUS PLAYERS ON THE PITCH (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI, JUVENTUS MANAGER, SAYING: "First of all City are one of the favourites to win the Champions League this year. We need to make a distinction between the Champions League and Serie A, tomorrow is the first of the six group games we have to play, it is a tough group and we want to qualify, it is a well balanced group as well. "Tomorrow we are going to have to play at a high intensity, we have to be brave and technical in our approach and this is something we need to do to boost our own self esteem as at the moment that is lacking. We have not managed to get good results so your confidence does go down in football and we need to turn that around. We get all these questions because we don't win a game, and then we win and the team is much stronger than before. "I think that regardless of what has happening in our first three games we have to look at the group of players we have put together and they have just come back from the international break and the team gave everything - the only thing we did not get was a goal. I think we have been unlucky, as the two games we have played at home we have let in two goals from two shots. We need to turn things around but that is what football is all about, we need to keep a low profile and get the results" PHOTOGRAPHER ALLEGRI JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI, JUVENTUS MANAGER, SAYING: "When (Paul) Pogba came on in the last game he played really well, he showed his own characteristics which is a great thing for the team. He is a player that needs to drive us forward through his strength and technical abilities. "Tomorrow is a game played by our whole team and we are going to have to be careful as we are playing one of the best teams in Europe tomorrow, but we will have the opportunity to find space and it will be different from the games we play in the domestic league. "Tomorrow it is a big test and it will determine what sort of level we are at, and also identify areas for improvement - the only way you can discover how good your team is, is by playing the best. We don't know how far we can go and there is no point talking about any of that at the moment, the only thing we can do today is work hard and try to get a good result so we can see things differently in the future. Football is results dependent and so far results have not been going so well." MANCHESTER CITY PRESS ROOM JUVENTUS PLAYER GIANLUIGI BUFFON PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (ITALIAN) JUVENTUS GOALKEEPER GIANLUIGI BUFFON SAYING: "There is a huge amount of enthusiasm ahead of the game tomorrow. For me personally it is the first time I have been able to play here in the stadium, and of course we know Manchester City is one of the potential winners of the Champions League this year, so that means it is going to be a good thing for us to start our Champions League with such a tough test and we can then see how we stand." CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BRANDING JUVENTUS MANAGER ALLEGRI LEAVES THE PRESS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 29th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7LC9WTJRD95F601M7VKPKEHOW
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Juventus will be looking to recapture the form that took them to the final of last season's Champions League when they start this terms campaign at Manchester City on Tuesday (September 15).
    Beaten by Barcelona in the final in June, Massimiliano Allegri's side have made a poor start to the Italian league season, while City have 15 points from five Premier League games, Juventus needed a late penalty from Paulo Dybala to draw 1-1 draw with Chievo and avoid a third straight Serie A defeat.
    Juve are still coming to terms with the summer exits of Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez, but manager Massimiliano Allegri believes that facing City could be just the sort of test his side needs to kick start their season.
    "First of all City are one of the favourites to win the Champions League this year. We need to make a distinction between the Champions League and Serie A, tomorrow is the first of the six group games we have to play, it is a tough group and we want to qualify," he said.
    "Tomorrow we are going to have to play at a high intensity, we have to be brave and technical in our approach and this is something we need to do to boost our own self esteem as at the moment that is lacking. We have not managed to get good results so your confidence does go down in football and we need to turn that around. We get all these questions because we don't win a game, and then we win and the team is much stronger than before.
    "I think we have been unlucky, as the two games we have played at home we have let in two goals from two shots. We need to turn things around but that is what football is all about, we need to keep a low profile and get the results.
    "Tomorrow it is a big test and it will determine what sort of level we are at, and also identify areas for improvement - the only way you can discover how good your team is, is by playing the best."
    Veteran goalkeeper also said the challenge posed by City could help the side.
    "There is a huge amount of enthusiasm ahead of the game tomorrow. For me personally it is the first time I have been able to play here in the stadium, and of course we know Manchester City is one of the potential winners of the Champions League this year, so that means it is going to be a good thing for us to start our Champions League with such a tough test and we can then see how we stand," he said.
    Juventus will be without injured midfielder Claudio Marchisio for Tuesday's clash after he sustained a muscle injury against Chievo.
    Mario Mandzukic, a summer signing from Atletico Madrid, could return to the starting lineup after being left on the bench against Chievo when Dybala and Alvaro Morata formed a two-man attack.
    With Spanish club Sevilla and Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach also in Group D, qualification could be complicated for either team if they get their campaign off to a slow start.
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