Sunday’s Serie A action closes out at the Gewiss Stadium as a fifth-placed Atalanta take on high-flying Juventus in a Champions League six-pointer. Massimiliano Allegri deemed the upcoming fixture in Bergamo a ‘direct clash for the fourth place,’ urging the Bianconeri to maintain their noticeable upturn in form.
During a pre-match conference, the 54-year-old manager highlighted the importance of Sunday’s trip to Bergamo as Juventus look to make a decisive step towards cementing their position in the top-four run-in.
“A direct clash for fourth place, an important but not decisive match, it’s a good game. Atalanta have shown over the years that they’ve earned the space to always fight for the top four places, and they’ll be angry after their defeat in the Coppa Italia. We’ll need a high-level performance,” he said as relayed by the club’s official Twitter account.
Juventus have gone from strength to strength since losing 1-0 to Atalanta in the reverse fixture, racking up a resounding ten-game unbeaten run in Serie A (W7, D3). Moreover, Allegri’s men have kept a clean sheet in their last three league outings, as the gaffer expects his team to continue to grow following a dismal start to the season.
Coming into this matchday, Juventus squeezed past Sassuolo 2-1 in midweek Coppa Italia action, but Allegri wanted to see a bit more urgency from his players after grabbing an early lead.
“We must always improve. In our choices, in the precision of our passing. Then with Sassuolo, it was a particular match. After the lead, we left the game. As long as we are playing football, everyone can and must improve,” he continued.
But Juventus have seemingly found their feet after an abysmal run of form earlier in the season, and Allegri refused to pass on the opportunity to hail his men’s progress.
“In football you need balance. We’re coming from a good period, but not from now but from ten or twelve games. We always have to have individual moments on our side, we have to be focused on what we’re doing and not think.
“We’ve reached the semi-final of the Coppa Italia, now we have to think about settling the league game by game and the more we go on the more difficult it is to win because points count more. You have to be good when the ball is decisive.“
Juventus hold a two-point lead over Atalanta and faces a glorious opportunity to strike a massive blow on their rivals’ top-four hopes. Indeed, La Dea have failed to live up to expectations of late, most recently suffering a 3-2 Coppa Italia loss to ten-man Fiorentina in midweek.