On Saturday evening, Juventus will welcome Cagliari to the Allianz Stadium in the final Serie A weekend before the November international break.
Due to several absentees either through injuries or suspension, Max Allegri will have to introduce some tweaks to his starting formation.
The Juventus manager held his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon where he revealed some of his choices for tomorrow.
The 56-year-old announced that Manuel Locatelli will wear the captain’s armband in the absence of the injured Danilo and the balancedAdrien Rabiot.
“From all points of view, tomorrow’s match will be fundamental for us,” said Allegri as quoted by the club’s official website.
“We have the chance to keep the gap from the fifth in the standings at least intact, but also to close this cycle of five matches between the two international breaks in the best possible way.”
“Tomorrow the captain will be Manuel Locatelli. He’s fresh from his contract renewal, so this will be a nice reward for him to wear the armband.
“Wojciech Szczesny will be in goal regularly because having just one game per week, on average, you don’t have to think too much about turnovers in the goalkeeping department.”
While some suggested that Dean Huijsen could start tomorrow, Allegri revealed that Federico Gatti will maintain his place at the back despite risking a ban.
“Federico Gatti is one card away from a ban, but he will play because we can’t afford to look ahead to the next matches.
“The one that matters to him now is the one against Cagliari.
“In place of Adrien Rabiot we have several midfielders available, I will have the opportunity to choose.
“In attack, everyone is healthy and that’s the most important aspect. Whoever starts from the beginning will be able to make an impact and the same goes for whoever comes in during the game.
The Bianconeri boss provided some updates on the conditions of his injured players. While he expects to have Alex Sandro and Timothy back for the Inter clash, Danilo could be set for an additional period on the sidelines.
“After the break, Alex Sandro will certainly return and most likely Timothy Weah too.
“Danilo, on the other hand, probably won’t be there again against Inter. His lesion is small, but deep. You always have to be careful in these situations.”
Finally, Allegri spoke about his affection for Cagliari having spent five memorable years in Sardinia between his playing days and managerial career.
“It’s always a pleasure to meet Cagliari, I had important players available during my time in Sardinia.
“I spend five years in there, three as a player and two as a coach. It was wonderful. I still have friends there.
“Coming to tomorrow’s match, our opponents are coming off an excellent run of form and it will be essential to be compact to bring home the victory.
“The most important match is the one against Cagliari, who proved to be a strong and well-trained team.
“It’s a difficult match because we’re coming from an extremely positive period and, consequently, the attention span could be decreased, but I’ve warned my players.
“We will have to play with serenity, but at the same time with determination to bring home an important result.”
