Youthful Juventus must show ´character´ to beat Man City, says Motta

Juventus head coach Thiago Motta has insisted that his youthful squad must be at their best when they face Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Juventus find themselves 19th in the 36-team standings after five games, and are without a victory in the competition since their 3-2 win over RB Leipzig in October.

Motta’s side have also lost four of their last six home matches in the Champions League (W2), including their most recent one against Stuttgart.

This is as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 40 home matches in the competition combined (four), between October 2013 and December 2021.

And the Juventus boss acknowledged the difficulties his side will face against the Premier League champions, despite their recent run of form under Pep Guardiola.

“It is a Champions League game, two big clubs facing each other. We have to concentrate on what we have to do, everything else is relative,” Motta said.

“We are a young team that can improve in every aspect of the game. We have shown great character, we grow because we have great solidarity on the pitch,” he added.

“In the end, you look at everything, but we have to give priority to the most important things. We have to think about the game and to stay compact and play with intensity.

“We will need a lot of quality to create difficulties for them.”

Minds on #JuveManCity pic.twitter.com/BWIGYc5uXv

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 10, 2024

The Citizens’ run of one win in their last nine games in all competitions has not been helped by several injuries to a plethora of their first-team stars.

Oscar Bobb, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji will miss Wednesday’s trip to Turin, but midfield duo Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic are expected to return.

Looking over their recent issues, Motta lauded Guardiola for what he has achieved during his time at the Etihad.

“In recent years Manchester City have won everything, and you just have to congratulate them on the value they have shown,” Motta said.

“Guardiola’s a very good coach, I don’t just say that – the facts prove it. He has won consistently.”

Juventus also have injury problems ahead of taking on City at the Allianz Arena, with Andrea Cambiaso, Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal and Arkadiusz Milik all missing.

But they have been boosted by the returns of Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz, who trained with the squad in midweek and are expected to feature.

“Tomorrow, those who deserve to play will play and obviously those who have been out for a while need more time,” Motta said.

“I’m happy that the guys are back because they are the first ones who are unhappy to be out, and it’s also good to know that they can give us a hand.

“Having said that, I don’t think our problems, when they exist, are due to injuries.”

pic.twitter.com/XuCpNydVNG

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 10, 2024