McKennie on new Juventus, Spalletti introduction and Scudetto hope

Weston McKennie reveals what Luciano Spalletti said in his first meeting with Juventus players ahead of the debut with Cremonese. ‘Of course, we all want to win the Scudetto.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Giovanni Zini at 19.45 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game, Udinese-Atalanta and Napoli-Como on the Liveblog.

The club sacked Igor Tudor on Monday after going eight competitive matches without a single victory, including four in a row failing to find the net between Serie A and the Champions League.

They played the midweek round under caretaker manager Massimo Brambilla, beating Udinese 3-1, and tonight make their debut with Spalletti.

What did the new coach say to the squad when he first walked into that locker room?

“The new coach didn’t say anything in particular, just that we have to be available for anything he wants us to do, and we are,” McKennie told Sky Sport Italia.

“We just want to get back to winning in the Juventus style, to win for our fans, concentrate only on the pitch and not think about the criticism from the outside.”

Napoli were held to a 0-0 draw this evening by Como, so it represents a chance to close up on the Serie A leaders.

“Every game is an opportunity and we want to get back to the top level, which is where Juventus always need to be. We hope to get three points here and return home with more confidence,” added the American midfielder.

Spalletti said in his presentation press conference that there was no reason why Juventus couldn’t break back into the Scudetto race, so do the players see it the same way?

“The important thing is to take it one game at a time. Of course, we all want to win the Scudetto, but right now we have to focus on getting to know the new coach and going forward from there,” concluded McKennie.