Preview: Juventus v Olympiacos
Monday, November 3, 2014
Article summary
"It will be 95 minutes in which we're practically playing for our future in the Champions League," said Massimiliano Allegri ahead of Juventus's tie with Olympiacos FC.
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• Massimiliano Allegri says Tuesday is a must-win game for Juventus
• Andrea Pirlo is poised for 100th UEFA Champions League appearance
• Kwadwo Asamoah and Angelo Ogbonna face late fitness tests
• Olympiacos's 1-0 victory on matchday three puts Míchel's men second in Group A
• Olympiacos have won only one of their four away league matches this season
Possible lineups
Juventus: Buffon; Ogbonna/Cáceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Pogba, Marchisio/Pirlo, Vidal, Asamoah/Padoin; Morata/Llorente, Tévez.
• Out: Barzagli (ankle), Evra (thigh), Cáceres (thigh)
• Doubtful: Ogbonna (thigh), Asamoah (knee)
Olympiacos: Roberto; Elabdellaoui, Botía/Avlonitis, Abidal, Masuaku; Maniatis, Milivojević, N'Dinga; Kasami, Domínguez/Afellay; Mitroglou.
• Out: Benítez (thigh)
• Doubtful: Domínguez (thigh), Botía (flu)
Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus coach
We've got to remain calm. Tomorrow will be a big test against a side who play good football, a team who have beaten Atlético and Juventus in their home games. We've got to concentrate and play well, and ensure it's an intense game. It will be 95 minutes in which we're practically playing for our future in the Champions League. Winning is obligatory.
We don't have to make anything up. We'll see how [Kwadwo] Asamoah and [Angelo] Ogbonna are and, depending on their recoveries, I will pick my team. If we were without both of them, then [Simone] Padoin could play out wide. He did well at Empoli, he's reliable – technically and tactically – so I'm not worried at all. But it would be good to have them fit to have a greater number of players to choose from.
We need to be technically stronger than we were in Greece because we got a lot of passes wrong, especially in the first half. We've got 95 minutes to win it so we can't get hasty. We've got to make the most of the time we've got to get the result we want.
We've got to aim to win, and then try to win by two goals as it would be important for the head-to-head. But first let's look to win before thinking about the two goals, because that won't be easy.
Our fans have been exceptional. Tomorrow's going to be a special, important game for us, particularly for the importance of the result. There's going to be suffering, for us and the fans, but from 20.45 until 22.25 we need a great atmosphere with great enthusiasm, from us and the fans. We need positivity.
Míchel, Olympiacos coach
Roberto was a hero against Juventus last time, not only in the last 25 minutes, but the whole team played well in that game. We want to repeat that tomorrow. We want the win which would leave us in a very good position in the group. We're very proud to have beaten such a big club and to be where we are in such a difficult group.
We are not even thinking about how strong Juventus are in their own stadium; we don't need to see any statistics to know that. We've got to try to give it our all and try to get the best result possible, without thinking about how important [getting a win] is for Juventus.
We're doing very well in the Champions League and we're doing as expected in the league. I always ask my players to give what they can, and they have shown me what they can do. A coach can have good ideas, but it's the players who take to the field and put these ideas into practice.
Weekend results
Empoli FC 0-2 Juventus (Pirlo 61, Morata 72)
Asteras Tripolis FC 0-0 Olympiacos
Form guide (all competitions)
Juventus: WLWLDW
Olympiacos: DDWWWL
Match facts
• How many of the clubs' previous eight encounters have Olympiacos won? Find out in our extensive match background.