Juve chasing second straight win at ‘complicated’ Empoli

Juve chasing second straight win at ‘complicated’ Empoli

Juve chasing second straight win at ‘complicated’ Empoli

Serie A champions Juventus won’t take
minnows Empoli lightly when they travel
to the Castellani stadium looking to claim
a second successive league win for the
first time this season, said coach
Massimiliano
Serie A champions Juventus won’t take
minnows Empoli lightly when they travel
to the Castellani stadium looking to claim
a second successive league win for the
first time this season, said coach
Massimiliano Allegri.
Allegri’s men maintained their bid for a
place in the last 16 of the Champions
League with a morale-boosting 1-1 draw
at Borussia Monchengladbach in
midweek when Stephan Lichsteiner hit
the net for the Bianconeri on his return
from undergoing heart surgery.
But despite recently improving on a
disastrous start to the campaign that left
the four-time consecutive champions
four points above the Serie A drop zone,
Juventus have yet to win two league
games on the trot this season.
Allegri has a full squad at his disposal
ahead of Sunday’s away trip but after
“complicated” wins over the Azzurri last
season he is taking nothing for granted.
“Tomorrow’s game is very important,
just as all our games are, because he
have to jump back up the table. And to
do that, we need consistency,” Allegri
said Saturday.
“We haven’t won two consecutive league
games this season, and it’s time we
started doing it.”
Empoli are usually a tough nut to crack
at home and Marco Giampaolo’s men,
who held Napoli to a 2-2 draw at home
earlier this season, sit a point behind
Juve in the Italian league table.
Allegri added: “Empoli play good football
and playing at the Castellani is never
easy. Last season our wins, at home and
away, against them were complicated
affairs.
“Also, it is expected to be a hot day. We
have to take account of that given the
fact we tired ourselves out in Germany.”
A win for Juve could see them reduce
arrears on league leaders Fiorentina,
who, along with second-placed Inter
Milan, have a nine-point cushion on the
champions.
Fiorentina face a potentially tough away
trip to Sampdoria in Sunday’s late game
while Inter face an equally difficult
away trip to Torino, who until recently
sat among the league’s top five.
Roma, who sit in third place at just a
point behind Fiorentina and Inter, will
go top if they beat city rivals Lazio in the
capital derby and Fiorentina and Inter
slip up on their travels.
However if Fiorentina, Inter and Roma
all suffer defeat, Napoli, who sit two
points off the pace in fourth, would go
top of the pile with a win over Udinese
at home on Sunday.
Allegri.
Allegri’s men maintained their bid for a
place in the last 16 of the Champions
League with a morale-boosting 1-1 draw
at Borussia Monchengladbach in
midweek when Stephan Lichsteiner hit
the net for the Bianconeri on his return
from undergoing heart surgery.
But despite recently improving on a
disastrous start to the campaign that left
the four-time consecutive champions
four points above the Serie A drop zone,
Juventus have yet to win two league
games on the trot this season.
Allegri has a full squad at his disposal
ahead of Sunday’s away trip but after
“complicated” wins over the Azzurri last
season he is taking nothing for granted.
“Tomorrow’s game is very important,
just as all our games are, because he
have to jump back up the table. And to
do that, we need consistency,” Allegri
said Saturday.
“We haven’t won two consecutive league
games this season, and it’s time we
started doing it.”
Empoli are usually a tough nut to crack
at home and Marco Giampaolo’s men,
who held Napoli to a 2-2 draw at home
earlier this season, sit a point behind
Juve in the Italian league table.
Allegri added: “Empoli play good football
and playing at the Castellani is never
easy. Last season our wins, at home and
away, against them were complicated
affairs.
“Also, it is expected to be a hot day. We
have to take account of that given the
fact we tired ourselves out in Germany.”
A win for Juve could see them reduce
arrears on league leaders Fiorentina,
who, along with second-placed Inter
Milan, have a nine-point cushion on the
champions.
Fiorentina face a potentially tough away
trip to Sampdoria in Sunday’s late game
while Inter face an equally difficult
away trip to Torino, who until recently
sat among the league’s top five.
Roma, who sit in third place at just a
point behind Fiorentina and Inter, will
go top if they beat city rivals Lazio in the
capital derby and Fiorentina and Inter
slip up on their travels.
However if Fiorentina, Inter and Roma
all suffer defeat, Napoli, who sit two
points off the pace in fourth, would go
top of the pile with a win over Udinese
at home on Sunday.