Allegri: 'BBC is coming back'

By Football Italia staff

Massimiliano Allegri confirmed “the BBC is available again” from next week and is seeking Juventus balance against impressive Sassuolo.

It kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.

“If you want a good headline, I’ll give it to you: the BBC is available again,” smiled Allegri in his Press conference, referring to Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini.

“They will be back in full training next week, but Barzagli won’t be able to play against Frosinone yet. We are almost all available, except for Juan Cuadrado.

“Tomorrow we could play Mattia De Sciglio with Martin Caceres, Daniele Rugani and Alex Sandro, with Joao Cancelo a good option off the bench.

“As for the midfield, Sami Khedira can start if Federico Bernardeschi does too. If Dybala plays, then it’s Rodrigo Bentancur or Emre Can.”

Sassuolo have already shown they stand up to the big clubs and have a very attack-minded style of football under Roberto De Zerbi.

“He is a young Coach and has improved a lot in recent years, but always ensures his team plays good football. He is one of the most promising young tacticians out there and has found the environment where he can grow, as Sassuolo can put his ideas into practice.

“The Neroverdi have enthusiasm, no pressure to get a result, so we have to put in a strong performance, above all in defence. I wanted us to improve our creativity, now we need to defend better. Once we sort all those elements out and keep them balanced, we can be ready for a great end to the season.”

Juve have come under fire recently for some sluggish performances, as they were knocked out of the Coppa Italia by a 3-0 Atalanta demolition job, scraping a 2-1 win at Lazio and drawing 3-3 with Parma.

“People seem to believe Juve have to beat everyone 3-0 without ever conceding. We have 60 points, the best defensive record in the league and drew one game because of some individual errors. The centre-backs were crucified, but the game was very entertaining with a thousand shots, hitting the woodwork and saves, all entertaining until we were held to a draw.

“The thing we need to focus on is winning the Scudetto, because that is absolutely not done. I don’t want us losing sight of the main objective, as there is time to think about the Champions League.”

This has been a tense week, not just because of recent results and the Paulo Dybala incident, but also Douglas Costa crashing his car.

“It’s a strange situation with Douglas Costa. He started the season very well, then did that stupid thing against Sassuolo (spitting at a player, ndr) and got a four-match ban, then was injured, got back in shape and on Sunday had a knock.

“As for Monday, that was his private life. These are young lads and I always tell them that they have to look after themselves, both on and off the field. They’ve got time to have fun and it’s only right they do so, but must also be responsible.

“Fortunately, there was nothing serious to him or the person in the car he crashed into. We are at an important stage of the season, so we need everyone in top shape both physically and mentally.”

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