Juventus News Roundup: Andrea Pirlo speaks ahead of Inter Milan clash, team news update and more | 14th May, 2021
Juventus are gearing up to face Serie A champions Inter Milan in the penultimate game of their season.
The Bianconeri cannot afford to drop any more points if they want to finish in the top four and qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Andrea Pirlo's men are currently 5th in the league, one point behind Napoli in 4th place.
The Italian manager knows his future depends on Juventus' rivals dropping points in their next two games. However, he will have to make sure that the Bianconeri win both their games to avoid a disastrous end to the season.
With all that in mind, here are the latest Juventus news on 14th May, 2021.
Andrea Pirlo impressed by Juventus' attitude in midweek
Andrea Pirlo has stated that he was pleased with Juventus' performance in the 3-1 win against Sassuolo in midweek and has called for more of the same when they take on Inter Milan.
Addressing the media ahead of the Bianconeri's clash against the Nerazzurri on Saturday, the Italian said:
“I liked the attitude on Wednesday, we needed to regroup after the match against Milan and we were compact. Having seen the performance on Wednesday suggests that we are sorry, we could have had more points by always remaining as focused as in Reggio Emilia."
He continued:
“At the end of the year, we will review the whole season, analysing the mistakes to not commit them again. When you train, you have to measure your own idea of the game with the players, adapting to their characteristics and understanding how to put them on the pitch, in the positions where they can perform more."
Juventus Team News
Andrea Pirlo also provided a squad update ahead of the clash against Inter Milan. He said:
"Alex Sandro plays tomorrow, because he’s disqualified for the Coppa Italia Final. For the others, we will see, we must recover energy. Federico Chiesa is getting better and better, I think he’ll be available tomorrow night. Merih Demiral is available, he could start the match."
Juventus close to signing Hakan Calhanoglu
Juventus are reportedly close to reaching an agreement to sign AC Milan star Hakan Calhanoglu this summer as Andrea Pirlo looks to overhaul his midfield.
The 27-year-old midfielder will become a free agent in June and has yet to come to an agreement over a contract extension at Milan.
According to Football Italia, Juventus have offered Calhanoglu a deal worth €5 million per year. However, the report also states that AC Milan will be willing to offer the midfielder a more lucrative contract if they secure Champions League qualification this season.