Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti hinted Gareth Bale could “start against Juventus” in the Champions League. The Coach was speaking after today’s 2-0 victory over Malaga, as they face the Turin giants on Wednesday. “It was a very good game. I hope we will play with the same intensity against Juventus in the Champions League next week. Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti hinted Gareth Bale could “start against Juventus” in the Champions League. The Coach was speaking after today’s 2-0 victory over Malaga, as they face the Turin giants on Wednesday. “It was a very good game. I hope we will play with the same intensity against Juventus in the Champions League next week. “We worked harder in defence. We focused on recovering possession faster and creating chances in attack – and that’s definitely something that happened this afternoon. “I'm happy with how we played, but we have to continue improving. Bale is fit to play. He has three days of training and then we will decide if he starts against Juve. “I think Varane will also be available for the match.”
Read More......Juventus boss Antonio Conte used his Press conference ahead of the Parma game to label Milan as the “super favourites” for the Scudetto.
The Old Lady actually sit at the top of the standings, one point ahead of the Rossoneri, but the tactician has piled the pressure on his rivals.
“Milan’s ability to win so easily is surprising,” Conte noted after the San Siro giants disposed of Cagliari 3-0 last night.
“Yesterday, with so many absences, they took the points with absolute tranquillity. They have a great champion like Zlatan Ibrahimovic who, at times, gives the sensation that he is Gulliver, a giant.
“They are so impressive that they are the super favourites to win the title. Up until now we are keeping up with them and we hope to keep the championship alive until the very end.
“There are still 18 games to go and there are 54 points on offer, so anything can happen amongst the top six or seven sides.” Source : http://www.football-italia.net
Juventus boss Antonio Conte wants to fight for more than just a third-place finish in Serie A this season.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Atalanta, the tactician underlined how hungry he is to get the Old Lady back to the very top.
“I wouldn’t sign for third place right now if it was offered to me,” the former Juve midfielder, who arrived from Siena in the summer, stated.
“I am obliged to give my best and dream about big targets. I wouldn’t have signed in June for just minimal objectives.”
The Bianconeri are currently first in Serie A and a win in Bergamo will see them crowned as Winter Champions.
“We are top because we have shown a great amount of determination, enthusiasm and a desire to win. I want to put my faith in players who want to achieve extraordinary things.
“We have another half of the season to go to confirm everything that we have done well so far. It won’t be easy.”
The Bianconeri goalscoring poll on Facebook continues to be a roaring success. Fans have responded in their thousands to vote for their favourite strikes so far this season. But while there are plenty of excellent goals to choose from, a familiar face remains in pole position.
Last time out, Claudio Marchisio’s opener against Milan topped the leaderboard. And we recently took to Facebook again, asking you to select your favourite goal from our last four games against Genoa, Fiorentina, Inter and Palermo.
The Bianconeri goalscoring poll on Facebook continues to be a roaring success. Fans have responded in their thousands to vote for their favourite strikes so far this season. But while there are plenty of excellent goals to choose from, a familiar face remains in pole position.
Last time out, Claudio Marchisio’s opener against Milan topped the leaderboard. And we recently took to Facebook again, asking you to select your favourite goal from our last four games against Genoa, Fiorentina, Inter and Palermo.
Following another phenomenal reaction from the fans, Marchisio has topped the charts once more. His coolly taken finish in the 2-1 victory over Inter received more than 60 per cent of the votes, while Matri’s effort against Genoa put the frontman in second place.
The ‘Little Prince’ is in fine goalscoring form and also claimed third position with his low drive against Palermo, “for the resounding nature of the move (Matri’s stepover in particular was MAGNIFICENT)”, explained Pierpaolo Pedicini, who like many others elected to comment on his choice.
But the immense joy provided by the strike in the San Siro appears to have been the deciding factor. “I don’t know if it’s the best but, it’s the one that made me celebrate the most!!”, wrote Fabrizio Sciolla, summing up the thoughts of all those who opted for the same goal. //http://www.juventus.com
Juventus returned to their brand new stadium this afternoon for the first time since Thursday’s workout against Notts County.
Antonio Conte decided to hold the team’s final training session at Juventus Stadium, allowing his players to fully acclimatise to the new pitch and surroundings.
A stadium in silence before the rapturous welcome the Bianconeri will be afforded tomorrow. Conte used the opportunity to appeal to the supporters, reminding them of the vital role they can play in spurring the team on to victory. “We’ve chosen to train in the stadium in order to put the finishing touches on our preparations. I hope that from Sunday, and for all the other home games, the public’s contribution proves to be fundamental. I’d like the fans to create an electric atmosphere all around the ground and I’m certain that thanks to the new arena and their proximity, they’ll be our twelfth man on the pitch.”
At the end of the workout, the manager submitted 20-man selection for the game. Iaquinta is the only one to miss out due to injury, while Krasic and Vucinic have been passed fit.
1 Buffon
3 Chiellini
5 Pazienza
7 Pepe
8 Marchisio
10 Del Piero
11 De Ceglie
14 Vucinic
15 Barzagli
17 Elia
19 Bonucci
20 Toni
21 Pirlo
22 Vidal
24 Giaccherini
26 Lichtsteiner
27 Krasic
30 Storari
32 Matri
33 Sorensen
Seeing your name next to that of the great Juventus legends in the new stadium in which the bianconeri will be writing many glorious pages in the history of the club, is a dream which the Juventus supporters can see come true as from today thanks to the initiative “Accendi una stella”.
The initiative will allow Juventus supporters to be protagonists in the new stadium: in fact the paving which leads to the second tier of the stands has been planned in a way as to welcome the public through a section of space divided into 50 sectors. Each of these sectors will be dedicated to the 50 champions in Juventus history which received the greatest number of votes by the Memebers and the Clubs DOC. Inside each sector metal plaques in the shape of a star with the names of the supporters inscribed in them will be placed.
The stars will be of two types: a Gold star worth €250 and a Platinum star worth €350, with which one will have the opportunity of seeing the star with his or her name inscribed around that of one of the 50 champions which include Platini, Del Piero, Boniperti, Sivori and many others. The project was conceived in a way to allow each interested supporte to choose his favourite sector. It will also be possible to give this unrepeatable and extraordinary emotion to someone who shares the love for the black and white stripes, changing the subscription to this initiative into a present. Whoever subscribes by the 28th February 2011 will see his name inscribed in time for the inauguration of the stadium.
This is not all: whoever subscribes to the initiative will receive a pack containing a reproduction of the star, a limited edition t-shirt of the project and access to the Juventus Membership project which will allow him to become part of the Member community.
The stars can be purchased through the website www.accendiunastella.com or through the call center on 899.999.897, from the Sales Center at Galleria San Federico 38 in Turin, from Pinzolo during the summer training camp from the Summer Village where one can find a space entirely dedicated to the project, from the Juventus Store in Via Garibaldi, from the Truck Juventus Store or from the Juventus Shop at the Stadio Olimpico and by the prepaid card which will allow you to activate the online service. source : www.juventus.com
With the two days of absolute rest having come to an end, Juventus is ready to concentrate fulltime on Sampdoria. Six days before the match against the blucerchiati, on schedule for Sunday at the Olimpico, the bianconeri will get back to work tomorrow afternoon at the Juventus Center.
It will be the last session of work in the absence of the 5 internationals who are still busy with the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Italy of the 4 bianconeri (Chiellini, Bonucci, Pepe and Quagliarella) and Krasic’s Serbia will be on the field in the evening for the last match before returning to the team.{Juventus.com}
UEFA President Michel Platini feels sorry for Juventus' current situation and believes the team still has plenty to work on.
The Bianconeri legend also commented on Jose Mourinho and the 2012 European Championship, which will be hosted by Poland and Ukraine.
“Juventus gave in too early,” claimed Michel.
“Now their situation in the table is really complicated and it seems their season has turned for the worse.
“There is still a long way to go for them to get out of it.
“Mourinho is an excellent manager and Inter are a great team. But they will have to prove on the pitch that they deserve to win this Scudetto.
“I am a bit worried about the European Championship but I am still hopeful,” said Platini.
“Still if the stadium in Kiev is not completed, the competition will not take place in Ukraine.”/football-italia.net
Juventus arrived in Saudi Arabia after more than 5 hours of flight.
In the morning, the team bid farewell to the Juventus Center for 2009 with a training session. Under the command of Ciro Ferrara and the keen eyes of Roberto Bettega, the bianconeri worked on the field to fine-tune the preparation in view of tomorrow’s match against Al Ittihad, the last commitment for this year. The bianconeri will return to Vinovo in the afternoon of January 1st, in order to get back to work in view of the next official match, on the 6th January away in Parma.
Tomorrow, 30th December, the match against Al Ittihad will kick-off at 18:15 CET at the Prince Abdullah Alfaisal Stadium. The match will be aired live and exclusively on Juventus Channel with a live commentary by Giulio Sala. The Juve TV station will follow the event with a special pre-match programme and a post-match programme including a number of interviews at the end of the match.
Juventus qualify for the knockout phase with a draw. Bayern need a win to qualify for the Last 16.
Head-to-head
Juventus and Bayern drew 0-0 in their first encounter in this season’s CL.
They met each other before this match on four previous occasions. Juventus won three times, Bayern once.
In 2004/2005, Juventus beat Bayern in both group stage matches. Both matches ended in 1-0.
In 2005/2006, Bayern and Juventus met in the group stage again. Bayern won at home (2-1). Martín Demichelis was one of the goalscorers, he is still part of the German club.
Juventus won the match in Turin (2-1). David Trézéguet scored the winner in the 85th minute. The Frenchman is still part of the Juve squad.
Bayern have won three of 12 away matches against Italian clubs. They have not lost in their last three visits to Italy.
Fabio Cannavaro is the testimonial of the “Lace Up. Save Lives” initiative, launched by Nike as part of the RED project to promote the fight against AIDS in Africa. The presentation took place in London in the presence of stars from the football and entertainment world, such as U2 vocalist Bono. Fabio Cannavaro filmed an advert publicizing the initiative.
The Juve defender, will wear red laces, a product created by Nike to contribute to the funds, during the match against Inter. The idea of Nike and RED is simple and is expressed in the slogan “lace Up. Save Lives”. By purchasing a pair of laces (NIKE)RED, 100% of the profits derived from the sale will go to the World Fund for the Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – which finances the programmes and guarantees medicinal for the people suffering of these illnesses – and the initiatives linked to football directed to the community to increase education and prevention.
The laces (NIKE)RED are available from Nike Store and the main resellers worldwide and can be purchased also on-line from the website www.nike.com. [www.juventus.com]
Turin, 30 November - It is true if the guard in the hunt for Juventus scudetto. But that did not discourage fans Bianconerri to remain in the field to support his favorite team ahead of the Italian derby against Inter on 5 December. Inter are currently top the standings with a difference of 8 points from Juventus.
Ticket sales for this 15 giornata to be bought sold out since opening this morning, just a few hours ago, the ticket is no longer available. "There is no one place left in the entire area of the stadium, all sold out within hours." Closing one official in Olympico.
Bianconeri + All Blacks = All Blacks & White. This is how the charity initiative wanted by Iveco which united Juventus and the New Zealand rugby national team, was called.
While taking advantage of the All Blacks Italian tour (On Saturday there is the friendly match against Italy in Milan), Iveco – a company which forms part of the FIAT group and which is the sponsor of the team from Oceania – wanted to represent the project by means of a press conference held at the Juventus Center in Vinovo which saw the participation of the two captains, Alessandro Del Piero and Ritchie McCaw, Marco Fassone (Juventus commercial director), Dario Destefanis (FIAT Group sponsoring manager), Franco Miniero (Iveco sales and marketing vice-president) and Daniele Farina, the person responsible for the “Crescere Insieme al Sant’Anna” project which is the co-protagonist of the initiative.
The Foundation will receive the funds generated from a charity auction on “ebay” which will have as a prize the jerseys of Juventus and the All Blacks autographed by Del Piero and McCaw.
This is the not the only initiative. During the training session held this morning, Ciro Ferrara’s team entered the field wearing technical gear sponsored by Iveco instead of the usual New Holland.
The same will apply to the next match, that on Sunday 22nd November against Udinese. The bianconeri will play on this special and unique occasion sporting a grey jersey sponsored by Iveco. The jersey was presented during today’s meeting. [www.juventus.com]
Juventus this season appear good enough. That is why the Bianconeri striker David Trezeguet has a very big confidence his team will be reaching the Champions League title this season.
Since 1996 Juve have never tasted the most prestigious titles in Europe. Although there are still opportunities scudetto in the grip of Juve, Trezeguet instead prioritize the Champions League title.
Trezeguet had just scored 167 to match the record of the legendary Omar Sívori time goal scoring to Atalanta last weekend. He sure can add to his goal coffers until the season ends.
"We're hunting scudetto. But according to my observations, we were very likely to embrace the Champions League title. This may be the right season for us," said Trezeguet told La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
"Last season I did not look old because of injury. But, this season is a chance for me to achieve personal goals."
"I will continue scoring goals, and I want to win a lot of things."
Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro is aware that Inter have a significant lead in the Scudetto race at this early point of the season, but he is not about to give up hope of winning the title.
The Bianconeri lost crucial points last weekend, squandering a two-goal lead at home to Napoli, a match that finished 3-2 in favour of the visitors.
"It's true there are seven points [between us and Inter], but we must look at ourselves and be confident we can do well," the veteran explained to Il Corriere dello Sport.
"We want to do well in all competitions.
"In the second-half [of the Napoli game] our spark was extinguished. Against Maccabi Haifa we had a good match."
This weekend, Cannavaro will come up against former team-mate Antonio Conte, who is now coach of Atalanta.
"In Bergamo, we must play a great match, though it will be difficult. Conte is a good friend and is very charismatic," the centre-back revealed.
"He is not going through a great time right now. I'm sure he will bounce back soon because he has done so in the past."[www.goal.com]
Results painted imperfect rivals Inter Milan to 2-0 win over Livorno host increasingly overtaken at the top Italian league Serie A.
Slow first half and both teams are equally unable to create dangerous opportunities opponent's goal. Strategy Livorno players piled in the middle sector of the field making plays Inter difficulties of their attack patterns.
In fact, in the 28th minute Inter have lost Sulley Muntari was injured when a duel with Marcus Diniz and had to be replaced by Esteban Cambiasso. The first round match was closed with the score 0-0.
Entering the second half, Inter tried to appear more aggressive. The result they were breaking the deadlock on 49 minutes through Diego Milito kick from the edge of the penalty box Livorno, using feedback from Dejan Stankovic.
After the goal Milito, Inter looked more comfortable in playing with more control of the ball in play a slow tempo.
Yet they are able to increase the advantage in the 80th minute when he passed a quick counter-attack Patrick Vieira off Maicon bait to a successful finish to the Inter goal.
Inter are now practically flew alone with 28 points, 7 points ahead of Juventus and Sampdoria in the second and third rank equally collecting 21 points
Juventus patron John Elkann says that he will not accept anything other than first place in Serie A and the Quarter-Finals in the Champions League.
Gianni Agnelli's grandson has taken a more hands on role in the last year and was speaking about his ambition with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Asked to describe what good management meant to him, Elkann replied: “It means winnings things. And it must be recognised that we have had a constant progression since our return to Serie A; finishing third and qualifying for the Champions League, then finishing second. What we now expect are the victories.
“We always need to focus on the top. We don't have to create expectations, but we should believe in ourselves. If you focus on the bronze medals in the Olympics you'll always do worse than those who focus on the gold.”
Elkann went on to talk about his plans for the club, which include a new stadium and consistent investment.
“The stadium is an important project because it's the meeting place between the team and the fans. We have seen throughout Europe that there is a greater desire to go to a stadium when the club owns it, as it increases the link between the team, the club and its fans.
“Juventus will continue to invest in the team and the stadium that will eventually become a reality in 2011. My relationship with Juventus is a strong relationship, but as a fan.”
Finally Elkann responded to speculation linking Italy Coach Marcello Lippi with a role as a Juventus director after the World Cup next summer.
“Let him work in peace. He has a very big job to do in South Africa and he needs to concentrate. At the same time he is part of Juventus' history and with him there is a natural closeness that we live positively,” Elkann concluded.[www.football-italia.net]
Martin Caceres came on for Grygera after the half time break and had a good performance, also contributing to the attacking phase: «I am happy with the 3 points which was the main thing. I came on the second half and tried to contribute in attack when I could do this otherwise I tried to do my job in the defence».
Juventus now play on Wednesday against Sampdoria who are currently 2 points ahead of the bianconeri: «I hope that we will win against Sampdoria just like we did today because it is important to win the home matches».[www.Juventus.com]
Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro hit back to the media after he was cleared of charges of doping case yesterday. Italy captain's 36-year-old, wearing a medicine containing a banned substance, cortisone after a wasp sting on August 28 and failed a dope test two days later.
"You get a bee sting and then find themselves in the paper as if you were using doping," Cannavaro said angrily.
"Some newspapers and television channels have gone too far."
"This is the second time in my life that I've found myself slandered in the newspapers for stories like this."
"I hope this story will not happen again. My career has always been distinguished by respecting the rules."
"I regret that these problems can cause trouble like that."
"My personal history and my career to show my respect for the sport and the ethical principles that support it."
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The day after the draw against Bayern, the defender from Livorno was the protagonist of a chat with subscribers of JuventusMembership: «In Munich we achieved a good draw. Now we need to obtain maximum points from the matches against Maccabi».
A protagonist at the Allianz Arena in Bavaria and once again a protagonist in the chat with the bianconeri fans. A few hours the match against Bayern and the duels with Ribery and Klose, the defender from Livorno answered the questions asked by subscribers of JuventusMembership.
A moment of relax between a match and another. The match in Munich is still on Giorgio’s mind: «It was important to achieve a good result, yesterday. Playing away to Bayern, we competed against excellent team that can boast of great experience in the cups. In the first half we suffered a bit, but in the second half we adapted to their way of playing and we even had the chance of winning. The draw was a just result, however now we must win the next two matches against Maccabi before the final rush».
With the match in Germany shelved, now it is time for another. From North to South destination Sicily. On Sunday night Juventus will play away against Palermo and Chiellini and friends will have to deal with a fearsome attack driven by former bianconero Miccoli. «We will be going there in an attempt to win, so as to go to the international break tranquilly. Personally, I feel well in this part of the season, even though after so many matches it is difficult to be responsive for the whole 90 minutes».[JUVENTUS.COM]
