Spalletti previews Juventus vs. Galatasaray: ‘No hiding, we want to win’

Luciano Spalletti has given his pre-match thoughts ahead of Juventus’s Champions League play-off round first leg against Galatasaray on Tuesday evening, has reflected on the controversial Derby d’Italia from Saturday night and has hinted at who could play at centre-forward for the Bianconeri in Istanbul. 

Juventus finished the league phase in 13th place in the Champions League table, three points shy of a spot in the top eight. This means that they will have to play against Galatasaray over two legs in order to qualify for a spot in the round of 16. 

The Bianconeri will take on a Galatasaray side featuring the likes of Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi and Noa Lang in Istanbul on Tuesday evening before hosting the return leg at the Allianz Stadium next Wednesday, February 25. 

Spalletti on Juventus vs. Galatasaray: ‘We want to try and win’

Juventus have been linked with moves for both of Galatasaray’s strikers, Icardi and Osimhen, over the last two transfer windows. Spalletti was asked which striker he would ‘prefer’ to have at his disposal. 

“I don’t know who I prefer within my own team, I can’t imagine what my colleagues have to do,” he replied (via TMW). 

“For me, they are both very strong players with different characteristics, and together, their characteristics could make up the encyclopaedia of being a no.9. 

“They are two strikers who know how to move inside the area, one creates chaos and the other knows how to capitalise on the chaos. We have to give them the ball as little as possible and keep it ourselves.” 

And on the importance of tomorrow’s match, Spalletti said: “When it’s a double-header, both matches are important. Any hesitation can cost dearly. I’m proud of the reaction they showed in Milan and I wouldn’t change my team for anyone in the world. 

“We have to play as a team and not suffer from the opponent’s pressure, play our football.”

Jonathan David, Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadsiuz Milik are all unavailable for the Galatasaray match, so Spalletti was asked whether there could be an opportunity for Lois Openda on Tuesday night. 

He replied: “This can be a turning point for anyone. Openda has already had opportunities and others will have them. We’ll see about how and when together.” 

Spalleti was then asked whether the in-form Weston McKennie, known for his versatility, is among the options to play at centre-forward. 

He said: “I’m convinced that he’s already shown it. He’s a player who has the characteristics to play with his back to goal and also knows how to turn things around in a short space of time because he’s fast and technical. 

“He’s shown everything, and we’ve had all the possible problems that have led him to going from a right-back to a left winger. His willingness to help his teammates is an example for everyone.” 

And on the rest of the squad, Spalletti added: “I don’t know because we’ve had one training session and we won’t train before tomorrow night. We have to evaluate Thuram and there are some other situations that we’re carrying. 

“The players have to recover and we have no other choice. Doing the same things repetitively is tiring on the mind as well.” 

And giving his assessment of Galatasaray, Spalletti said: “We have to be ready for Galatasaray’s selections. We’re anticipating decisions that will create confusion and chaos. We have to try and play our game and we can’t be intimidated by their ferocity.” 

And when asked if a victory away in Istanbul will be ‘enough’ for Juventus to qualify for the Champions League round of 16, Spalletti said: “We know the difficulties we’re facing because we’ve watched Galatasaray’s games. They’re a strong team and we’ve come here deserving to play this game. 

“We’re happy to play against opponents like this. We’ll try to play the game in the correct way and we will see what level of quality we’re at, because these stadiums show you what mental strength you need to have as well. We don’t want to hide, we want to play the game and try to win.” 

Spalletti on Inter vs. Juventus controversy 

Spalletti was given the opportunity to share his thoughts after the controversial Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus from Saturday night. The Bianconeri were on the losing side of a 3-2 scoreline, and were left furious after Pierre Kalulu was wrongfully sent off after a dive by Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni. 

Spalletti gave his thoughts on the matter, the post-match comments made by Cristian Chivu, the reaction to Bastoni’s dive and what Juventus have to do to combat diving in the sport. 

“I don’t want to speak over the words of Elkann and the directors. I can say that Pierre is a good guy, a decent person and the fact that he had to take a dig from an opposition coach is something I never expected.

“This would put me in a position to talk about Inter’s players and I don’t want to do that.

“Simulation is an offence to football and what I have to do is raise the team to a level where simulation does not allow others to determine games for us. What happens isn’t important, but what you do when something happens to you is. We needed to reverse the situation.

“We have to improve if we don’t want to concede that goal there, and we wanted to go and score again immediately afterwards. These are tests of maturity. Tomorrow will be a test of our maturity.” 

There were some calls after the Inter vs. Juventus match that Bastoni should be dropped from the Italy national team squad as a result of his unsportsmanlike behaviour. 

As the former head coach of the Italy national team, Spalletti was asked for his opinion on that thought. 

He came out in defence of Bastoni, arguing that it would not be the right decision to drop him from the Italy squad: “Absolutely, Gattuso has to be free to call up whoever he wants. Unfortunately, I am no longer CT and I will leave that situation with him. We have a strong coach, we have to leave him to be free to do what he wants.”