Ahead of Thursday’s Europa League contest against Freiburg, Max Allegri held his pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

The Juventus manager is eager to win the first leg of the round of 16 in order to gain an advantage before next week’s trip to Germany.

“Tomorrow we want to lay the foundations for the second leg,” said the Livorno native as published by Calciomercato.

“They are physically strong and they sit fifth in the Bundesliga. They’re also unbeaten in Europe.

“We have to go back to winning at home. Between the Champions League and the Europa League we only got one win this season.”

Allegri admits that the team is disappointed following last Sunday’s defeat at the hands of Roma, but he demands a reaction from his players.

“After the defeat, the displeasure was normal as well as the regret and the disappointment. Tomorrow we will have to react as a team, with respect.”

The coach also provided some updates on the physical conditions of some of his stars, including Paul Pogba and Leonardo Bonucci.

He also expects Alex Sandro to shake off his slight knock, while ruling Mattia De Sciglio out of the match.

“Yesterday, Pogba did a good training session. He also did well today. Tomorrow morning, we’ll understand if he can be available.

“Leo is better, he played 55 minutes in the last match. I’m happy with the performance he put in. It will depend on Alex Sandro’s condition in the morning, I’ll decide then.

“Alex Sandro is 99% available. De Sciglio absolutely not. I hope to have him by Sunday.”

The former Cagliari and Milan boss then defended Dusan Vlahovic who has been criticized for his lack of goals in his recent outings.

“I’m happy with Vlahovic. Being a Juventus center forward has different responsibilities. But Dusan has grown, he’s developing, but like all players, there are moments when things don’t go well.

“But if scores tomorrow, maybe everything will be seen differently.”

Finally, the manager suggested that Federico Chiesa can play as a center forward, while stating that Moise Kean’s services will come in handy.

“Chiesa has already played as a centre forward. Whether he starts from the outside or plays on the inside. But he can also play as a striker. He has the ability to interpret all three positions up front”.

“Kean knows that he made a mistake in Rome, he was the first to apologize. He will pay the fine that the club will hand him but he is a Juventus player, and is important to us. He scored important goals.

“We have three months left in the season, everyone is needed regardless of the mistakes they make. He made one, he will pay for it and will come out as a more mature player.”