Chiellini: ‘Juventus respect Monaco, Kolo Muani was happy here’

Giorgio Chiellini assures Juventus have ‘great respect’ for Monaco in the Champions League, despite squad rotation, and confirms Randal Kolo Muani ‘was very happy’ in Turin.

It kicks off at the Stade Louis II at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game, Napoli-Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund-Inter and Union Saint-Gilloise-Atalanta on the Liveblog.

The Bianconeri had a poor start to the tournament, managing just three draws from the first four matches, but have since beaten Bodo/Glimt, Pafos and Benfica on the bounce.

Confidence is also booming after their 3-0 Serie A victory over Napoli at the weekend, despite still missing injured Dusan Vlahovic and Daniele Rugani.

However, it looks increasingly likely that none of the Italian sides will make it into the top eight this season.

“Unfortunately, we have to deal with the situation,” Chiellini told Sky Sport Italia.

“Inter had a great European run last term and they have dropped a few results too. We know how important it would be to have five Italian sides in the Champions League next season, for the survival of Italian football in general.

“It’s also true that Serie A is a very difficult league, especially for those coming in from abroad, that has been consistent throughout all our clubs. We hope to all at least reach the play-offs, then see where we go from there.”

Inter President Beppe Marotta noted that the Premier League dominated the Champions League because their revenues dwarf those of Serie A clubs.

“There is a big economic gap between the leagues and right now we need help from the Italian Government, who could help us to compete. The growth decree was later abolished, but that was one of the things that allowed Inter to bring in strong talents at those wages.

“As for the Nazionale, coaches need more courage to launch these young players in the squad and let them develop, but we are already doing very well with Italy at youth levels, it’s about taking the next step in that development process.”

Would it make a big difference whether Juventus finish in the top seeded teams for the play-off?

“Being able to play the second leg at home, facing a team that finished lower than us in the table, those are all important advantages, not to mention the economic boosts of getting a victory here,” continued the director.

“There are a few changes to the line-up, which is natural considering the number of games we have to play and are coming up. We want to do well, Monaco have a lot of talented individuals, we have great respect for them and know how difficult this is.”

The transfer window is also open, and Juventus dropped their pursuit of Youssef En-Nesyri because he was not convinced about the idea of a loan, but could Randal Kolo Muani arrive from PSG on loan via Tottenham?

“Tottenham are playing tonight, so it’s not fair to discuss it now. We are looking for players who can improve our squad and that is not easy in January,” explained Chiellini.

“Kolo was very happy with us last season, but he is not a Juventus player now. We’ll see, everyone wants to strengthen the group and give the coach a few more options to choose from, but I cannot give you the percentages for certain players.”