Today at 8.45pm, Juventus will face Lazio at the Allianz Stadium, a match valid for the eighth matchday of Serie A. Thiago Motta, yesterday, in a press conference, presented the match against the Biancocelesti like this: “Lazio is a good team that is doing well at the moment. Very experienced coach who comes from many, many, many seasons done well. In A and B. I admire him very much, I said it a little while ago. Congratulations for the work done in recent seasons, not an easy job. Great opponent to challenge, to compete with. We are ready for anything to put in a great performance and for a positive result.”
Motta cuddles Douglas Luiz.
Thiago Motta, in the press conference, spoke once again about Douglas Luiz’s moment: “Honestly, I spoke very little with him. But I saw a really good attitude. He’s doing really well. For these strong players like him, certain moments of difficulty, in quotes, are used to see the reaction of a player and of the person. I saw a fantastic reaction. He could have stopped, he had physical situations like everyone else. He doesn’t stop. He trains.” The Juventus coach, however, did not dispel his reservations about the possible ownership of the Brazilian midfielder: “When he played he did well, but for me he can do better. I’m happy with what we see. Let’s see if he will start or participate. But I’m happy with what I’ve seen in these two weeks.” Today we will know if Douglas Luiz will have his big chance as well as a big responsibility.
Motta still has some training doubts despite the emergency.
Thiago Motta, for the match against Lazio, will be forced to make changes due to injuries and suspensions. The Italian-Brazilian coach, however, will rely on the 4-2-3-1: Di Gregorio will be in goal given that he will be disqualified in the Champions League. In defense on the right Savona will play, in half space for Gatti and Kalulu, while Cabal will return on the left. In midfield it will be up to Locatelli and Thuram. Cambiaso will be moved to the attacking midfield and will play with Douglas Luiz and Yildiz. Only Vlahovic will move in attack. In any case, there are still some doubts about the formation, especially regarding the attacking midfield, which will only be resolved close to the match against Lazio. Motta, however, is not worried about not having a real alternative to the Serbian striker: “He is very well. He will play. For the next ones, we’ll see day by day. By seeing the boy, the staff, we understand how the player is doing, whether it is the best thing to stay on the pitch and try to manage his playing time.”