Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo says his team must win at all costs when it faces rival Inter Milan in the second leg of its Coppa Italia semifinal on Tuesday.
The Italian champion goes into the game with a slender advantage after beating Inter 2-1 in the first leg in Milan last week thanks to a double from Cristiano Ronaldo. Pirlo’s side followed that up with a 2-0 Serie A win over AS Roma on Saturday to extend its winning run to six games in all competitions ahead of the decisive cup tie.
“We must play like the Juve we’ve seen in the last few games,” Pirlo told Juventus TV .
“It’s the second round of a great tie that will give us the chance to reach the final. It’s an objective that we must achieve at all costs. It will be a difficult match, a battle. But we’re ready for it.”
'Like a final'
Juventus had a slow start to the season in Pirlo’s first campaign as a coach, but its improved recent form has helped the Turin club rise to third in the standings, five points behind second-placed Inter with a game in hand.
“We will need to go out there with the attitude of being equals,” Pirlo said.
“We’re starting from 0-0, we can’t still be thinking about the first leg victory. This is like a final so we must have the attitude of an aggressive team that knows what it wants.
“We need to be focused; the objective is too important to let it get away.”
Comments
SHARE