A night as a great Juve. To attempt the feat on the Bayern Munich pitch, there are no alternatives: you need a perfect match, technically and, above all, mentally. Of course, it cannot be said that good luck gave the black and whites a hand, forced to play for the match of the year without Dybala, Marchisio and Chiellini and with Mandzukic still ached due to a groin problem (the Croatian, however , he will grit his teeth). We could discuss at length the reason for so many muscle problems but it wouldn't help much: what matters, in fact, is passing the round or at least trying.
“We'll play a great game at the Allianz Arena – Allegri's speech. – I repeat, we must not think but do otherwise we will not have a chance. Bayern know how to manage matches even 60-70% but they also have weaknesses and we know them. Tension and lucidity will be needed, especially in the offensive phase: we will try, I am convinced that it will be a good Juve". Important words also from the other protagonist of the press conference, that captain Buffon present as usual in the European vigils.
“If we want to go through, we have to approach the game better than we did in the first leg – his thought. - With fear you don't go anywhere, this is the moment to demonstrate the strength of our group. Sorry for the absences but we can do it anyway ”. In short, at Juve the desire to do business is great, without however forgetting the objective difficulty of succeeding. Eliminating Bayern would be complicated even in full ranks, let alone now that three very important players are missing such as Dybala, Marchisio and Chiellini, moreover with a 2-2 home draw to overturn.
“I stopped Paulo, he could have forced it but he would have risked a month and a half stoppage – explained Allegri. – Claudio and Giorgio, on the other hand, are recovering, after the derby there will be a break and we will have time to have them back with us. We know they are important players but we will be up to the task even without them."
Guardiola thinks so too, far from relaxed at the thought of facing a team like Juve already in the round of XNUMX. The Catalan coach doesn't want to say goodbye to Monaco without the long-awaited Champions League, which is why, despite a future already written at Manchester City, he feels the match in a particular way. “The Bianconeri are strong and play well both defensively and offensively – his comment. – This challenge is worth a final, I've known since day one how much this cup means to the club. We'll try to win, then we'll see what happens."
The game promises to be beautiful also on a tactical level: on one side Guardiola's "tiky-taken" and on the other Allegri's pragmatism. The Juventus coach, net of the aforementioned absences, has definitively abdicated the 3-5-2 in favor of a reliable and competitive 4-3-3. In defense, in front of Buffon, there will be Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci and Evra, in midfield Khedira, Hernanes (favorite over Sturaro) and Pogba, in attack Cuadrado, Mandzukic and Morata. Some trouble also for Guardiola, dealing with the usual defensive problems and with a Robben who is not at his best.
His 4-1-4-1 will see Neuer in goal, Lahm, Kimmich, Benatia and Alaba in the back, Vidal in the control room, Douglas Costa, Muller, Thiago Alcantara and Ribery in the frontline, Lewandowski in attack. Two great teams, ready to face each other on the wonderful stage of the Allianz Arena. The ingredients for the company are all there, now all we have to do is really try.
