Juventus expect tough Malmo challenge, says Giorgio Chiellini Are Atletico Madrid the team to beat in Group A? The ESPN FC crew give their thoughts as Atleti prepare for Juventus, Malmo FF and Olympiakos. Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini does not want to get ahead of himself as the Bianconeri look to get it right in Europe against Malmo on Tuesday. - Kelly: Liverpool back in the Champions League at last The Serie A champions are desperate to go further in Europe this season than they did last time around, when they were knocked out in the group stage, and two disappointing results against Scandinavian opponents have stuck in his mind. Juve picked up only a 1-1 draw with Nordsjaelland in their 2012-13 campaign and although they recovered that time to reach the round of 16, at the expense of Chelsea, they never recovered from a 1-1 draw at Copenhagen last term. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW Marcotti: Champions League beats World Cup Five key Champions League questions Kuper: PSGs European dream Ames: Arsenals knockout blows Your Champions League predictions? We dont expect it to be an easy game at all, Chiellini said at a news conference in Turin. We saw that in recent years against Copenhagen and Nordsjaelland, and thats the kind of football we expect Malmo to play. We know that we can only win if we put in all our desire, attention and respect for our opponents. That said, Chiellini insists Juve cannot put all their eggs in the Champions League basket, and said that finding the right balance is their biggest challenge. It would be stupid to sacrifice the league for a European cup, Chiellini said. Real Madrid had to wait so many years to win their 10th, which they invested so much into getting. I dont think we need to sacrifice. Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri concurred, saying he feels he has a good enough squad to go far both in the league and in Europe. Juggling the two competitions is not going to be easy, but Allegri has high hopes. We know its very hard to win in Europe, but nothing is impossible, the former AC Milan boss said. The main objective is to have the whole squad available to keep the level high in all our games, to try to get results in the league and in the Champions League. Juve have the conviction that we can reach the quarterfinals, but first weve got to win this which is not going to be easy as there are no easy games in Europe, where sides always play to get a result. Our group may seem easy, but it was the same last year and Juve were eliminated, so that shows its not easy to get through. MORE FROM JAMES HORNCASTLE: - Transfer grades for Europes elite clubs - The end of the Rafa-lution at Napoli? - Why Medhi Benatia chose Bayern Munich - Balotelli sale illustrates Milans malaise - The Champions Leagues must-see group games Allegri can at least count on Carlos Tevez, who has not scored in Europe in over four years, but opened his league account in the 2-0 win over Udinese on Saturday. Chiellini is also back after missing Italys trip to Norway and Saturdays game at the Juventus Stadium, but Roberto Pereyra is suspended. With him out, Ive got to think of a different option in midfield and maybe Kwadwo Asamoah will move inside, said Allegri. But weve got plenty of options.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 09:14:07 +0000
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