Antonio Conte has urged his troops to get 2013 off to a winning start by claiming three points against Sampdoria on Sunday afternoon.
The Bianconeri enjoyed a richly successful 2012 and their inspirational manager called for more of the same on the eve of his side’s first encounter of the New Year.
Reflecting on tomorrow’s championship return, Conte began: “We need to pick up where we left off. We’re fully aware of the dangers presented by the restart. We’ve had some time off to recharge the batteries and will now be up against a well-drilled Sampdoria outfit. Having said that, we’ve been working well and are fully prepared for tomorrow’s clash.”
The visit of the Blucerchiati could see Conte hand a debut to new arrival Federico Peluso, who became the club’s first signing of 2013 after agreeing terms on a loan switch from Atalanta
“He is a player who will enable us to compensate for a need that we already had in the summer, as there was no direct backup for Chiellini. Peluso can play on the left side of central defence or as an orthodox left-back. It’s an excellent signing for us and I’m convinced he’ll make a big contribution.”
While the defence has been strengthened with the arrival of the Rome-born stopper, Juventus still remain short on numbers in attack, with Primavera striker Stefano Beltrame added to the first-team squad to increase the options available following Nicklas Bendtner’s injury.
There was, however, some good news regarding the condition of Montenegrin frontman Mirko Vucinic.
“Mirko’s condition is much better than it was in the build up to our last game against Cagliari, where he missed practically the entire week’s training. He had an ankle problem and I put him on the bench to make up the numbers. He’s had the winter break to recover, we’re monitoring his workload and he’ll be available for tomorrow’s game.”
With the transfer market now in full swing and the Bianconeri consistently linked with moves for Didier Drogba and Fernando Llorente, Conte took the opportunity to set the record straight on the club’s transfer strategy.
“Drogba has never been offered to me by the club, nor have I mentioned him as a name. There are economic factors to be taken into consideration and they will be respected.”
“Llorente is a Spanish international who has done well with Atletico Bilbao. He is an appealing prospect because his contract is expiring. The club needs to assess if there’s the possibility of bringing in a great player on a free transfer, and if he accepts a move to Juventus. I don’t think Llorente would have considered us a year and a half ago, but now we’ve regained our appeal.”
“I remember Marco Borriello with great affection. He had a determining impact in last year’s run to the Scudetto. He’s an excellent player and we’ll remain alert to assess every situation.”
Source: Juventus.com
Buy on AliExpress.com