Massimiliano Allegri Says Juventus Are Not Champions League 'Super-Favourites'
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has played down Juventus' status as favourites for the UEFA Champions League title this year, while also providing a number of injury updates and talking about Paulo Dybala's transition to a new role.
The tactician faced the press ahead of Wednesday's Copa Italia match against Atalanta and said Mario Mandzukic could make his return from injury. Andrea Barzagli, Juan Cuadrado and Leonardo Bonucci are out injured, but the latter's setback may not be as bad as initially feared, per Football Italia.
He then turned his attention to Dybala and the Champions League::
"Dybala? He had chances on Sunday night and gives us a big hand in terms of sacrifice and build-up play.
"Football is unpredictable, as was the case in Rome. We played badly at the start but scored when we were at our best.
"Away from home? We'll play where we're told to play. We're playing lots of games and tomorrow we have another away game: it's practice for the Champions League too.
"It's not written anywhere that we're super-favourites for the Champions League. That would be madness.
"By doing that, you don't experience the competition as it should be experienced, that is as an objective to bring home, if we play well and are lucky."
He went on to praise Atalanta, warning his players they will be in for another difficult outing.
Juventus' last match was the narrow 2-1 win over Lazio, one of the Bianconeri's worst performances of the season. The hosts were the better side for the bulk of the contest but failed to put away the defending champions, only to concede twice in the final 20 minutes:
Dybala started the match in a false-nine role with Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa on either side of him, but he failed to make the most of several chances. His well-struck effort in the second half did lead to Joao Cancelo's equaliser, as the Portuguese full-back buried the rebound.
The 25-year-old Dybala has struggled in Serie A this season, scoring just two goals so far. Allegri is still trying to find his best role in this team, with Ronaldo now the main target in and around the box.
His passing was on point again Lazio, a sign the new false-nine role could be the long-term answer:
Mandzukic's return will complicate matters, however, as the Croat has been in excellent form this season and has struck a strong partnership with Ronaldo.
His solid play and the seamless transition of Ronaldo has elevated Juventus among the Champions League favourites. They're still unbeaten domestically and have built up a massive double-digit lead in Serie A, giving them the opportunity to rest some starters and focus entirely on Europe's top club competition.
But while the team's results have been great, their level of play has not. Juventus have rarely dominated their opponents this season, needing a lot of luck to grab wins over the likes of Lazio, AC Milan, AS Roma and Inter Milan in the past two months. Manchester United and lowly Young Boys Bern also beat them in Europe.
With the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona and Manchester City in excellent form, Juventus shouldn't be ranked as "super-favourites" based on their play. They'll remain among the cluster of favourites but face a big challenge in the next round, as they take on Atletico Madrid.
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