Conte preaches caution

Juventus coach Antonio Conte does not believe his side are as good as through their Champions League last-16 tie against Celtic.

Last Updated: 05/03/13 at 18:44 Post Comment   

Antonio Conte will not underestimate Celtic on Wednesday

Antonio Conte will not underestimate Celtic on Wednesday

Juventus coach Antonio Conte is perhaps the only man in Italy who does not believe his side are as good as through their Champions League last-16 tie against Celtic.

The Serie A leaders are 3-0 up from the first-leg in Glasgow and odds-on to reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 2006.

With Juventus carrying such a commanding lead going into Wednesday night's second-leg in Turin, many believe that Conte should leave out Stephan Lichtsteiner, Claudio Marchisio and Artur Vidal, who are all within one yellow card of a ban, and give some of his fringe players a game.

However, the Juve boss insists the tie is not yet over.

He said: "I hear people saying this could be a good game for us to rotate the team, but if I play somebody it's because they give me guarantees they can play.

"We have three players one booking away from a suspension, but they will still be at risk of suspension after this round too.

"Maybe some will play, maybe others will rest. We'll decide based on the players we have available, calculating also the knocks we have, which we have to look at today.

"Nobody wants to minimise the importance of this game, in fact, qualification is obtained over 180 minutes.

"We've only played 90 and we have another 90, plus maybe extra-time and penalties, against a strong, proud team who will want to make amends for first leg.

"There is a quarter-final to be reached so we definitely won't under-estimate this game.

"It's going to be a test for everybody, starting with me, then the players and the club.

"Certainly the first leg has given us a seriously good chance of reaching the next round, but in football there are always surprises if you don't play with the right determination and concentration.

"Celtic are a very physical side and can create lots of problems from set-pieces.

"We've got to be fully focused because we want to go through and so we've got to give it everything."

Defender Andrea Barzagli, 31, stressed how keen he is to feature against the Hoops.

He said: "The coach decides but I'm a footballer and always want to play, even if I play 60 games in a year, bring them on, it means I'm in good shape so I'm happy.

"For a defender, continuity is important and I'm part of a very strong defence, doing well for a year and a half. We're happy with what we've done, but we won't settle for that.

"Organisation is fundamental to our defence and we work a lot on it in the few days we get to work. This year, we've changed the back three often, yet we have shown solidity.

"It also helps to have the great hand from our midfielders and attackers, and if we've got where we are it's because we have a compact team in which we all help each other out."


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