Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo insists his side must win all three points at Bologna on the final weekend of the 2020-21 Serie A season. Heading into the season finale, the Bianconeri sit fifth in the standings, one point adrift of Milan and Napoli in third and fourth, respectively.
Back-to-back victories over Sassuolo and Inter have ensured Juventus go into Matchday 38 with the possibility of claiming a top-four finish. Pirlo’s men travel to Renato Dall’Ara to take on mid-table Bologna in a must-win fixture, though their Champions League hopes are way out of their hands.
Odds-on favorites to come out victorious, Juve have won each of their last nine top-flight meetings with Bologna, including a 2-0 triumph in the reverse fixture. However, even if they pick up all three points in Emilia Romagna, they will need other results to go their way.
In fact, Juventus’ potential victory won’t matter as long as Milan win at Atalanta and Napoli beat Hellas Verona at home.
During his last pre-match conference of the season, Pirlo pointed out that his players are physically and mentally ready for the upcoming game as the dethroned champions hope to qualify for next season’s Champions League group stage.
“The players have recuperated, as victories help get the adrenaline pumping,” he said as relayed by JuveFc.com.
“People considered us dead and buried after the defeat to Milan, but we got back on our feet. We must first and foremost focus on ourselves, trying to put in a great performance and get the win we need, then we can look at what the others are doing.
“The most important thing is for us to play our game and have no regrets.
“Bologna play good football, create a lot of scoring opportunities and have some very good young players. It’s going to be just as difficult as the last time we played them. They go on the attack and we must be wary.“
Juventus head into proceedings on the back of winning the Coppa Italia, having outscored Atalanta 2-1 in the Final on Wednesday. Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa were on the scoresheet for the Bianconeri, while Ruslan Malinovskyi scored the consolation goal for the Bergamo-based outfit.