Spalletti: ‘Juventus mustn’t be afraid of Scudetto race, 10 duels with Cremonese’

Luciano Spalletti said Juventus ‘mustn’t be afraid of stepping into’ the Scudetto race, but warns facing Cremonese represents ’10 duels all over the pitch.’

It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

The Bianconeri have a big opportunity this evening, as the top three were all held to stalemates over the weekend, so they can close on the leading pack.

A victory here would put them on 39 points, on a par with Roma and Napoli, although Antonio Conte’s side have a game in hand.

“We earned the bicycle we were dreaming of, so now we’ve got to pedal even harder. When you are up against teams who are up for the Champions League spots, you need to really make your mark on the field,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

Is being back in the title race rather than just for the top four going to motivate the Old Lady even more?

“We must keep pushing in a natural way, we must be ambitious in this environment, and the desire to keep improving is part of the history that preceded us here. We mustn’t be afraid of stepping up into that wonderful tale.”

Francisco Conceicao, Dusan Vlahovic, Federico Gatti, Daniele Rugani and Arek Milik are still out of action, but Lloyd Kelly returns to bolster the defence.

Fabio Miretti is again used in the trequartista role behind centre-forward Jonathan David, who ended his goal drought in the 3-0 victory over Sassuolo.

Cremonese under coach Davide Nicola have also been very impressive and upset some big clubs, so there could be a tactical trap for Juve.

“This is what football teaches us, that we have the opportunity via the talent of champions and the intuition of coaches, as we have some excellent young coaches in Italy,” noted Spalletti.

“We’ve got to make the players understand they are the protagonists, and they must bring something out of themselves to break out of those 10 duels. They are 10 duels all over the pitch in Italian football, and whoever wins them can give their contribution to the team and tip the balance of the game.”