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Juve chasing second straight win at ‘complicated’ Empoli

By AFP
07 November 2015   |   4:20 pm
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…
Juventus

Juventus

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.

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