Ranieri: «A decisive week»

Ranieri: «A decisive week»

At a juncture in the season when all moments are decisive and any match can be like a turning point, Juventus are getting ready to face their umpteenth topical period. AC Milan arrive at the Olimpico to play one of the great classics of Italian football. But there's no time now to think about the past and the two rivals’ prestige. What counts is the present, and a near future in Europe.

The game against the Rossoneri, already important in itself, arrives at the beginning of another key period. In the space of eight days, between tomorrow and Sunday April 20, Ranieri's team will also have to face Parma (in the match that was postponed) and Atalanta. «We could say that after these three games we'll be on the home stretch - Juve's Manager began with a metaphor that he’s used many times before – we'll see in what position we’ll be at the end of this week. We want to bring out the best in ourselves in the next three games, and we have to remain focused at all times».

There'll be time to think about Parma and Atalanta. At the moment the whole focus is on the match against AC Milan, where no added motivation is needed. Yes, there's no League title at stake this time, as in previous seasons, but a place in the Champions League is really precious anyway. The Bianconeri have a 6 point advantage (plus they have one more match to play than AC Milan), a considerable lead but it's not enough. «We can't relax just yet. We have to maintain our placing, but if we win we'll definitely put ourselves in a favourable position in terms of qualifying for Europe. We face an AC Milan side that have taken a lot of points away from home and they have several top-level players. These great matches are open to any result and are often decided by episodes. I'm expecting a great match».

*juventus.com