(Reuters) – Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said the team is in a positive mood after beating local rivals Torino in the last game but warned his players to be careful against a “fast and technical” Empoli side in Friday’s Serie A match.
Dusan Vlahovic’s second-half strike helped Juventus win 1-0 at Torino last weekend as Allegri’s team stayed eighth in the league on 16 points after 10 games, 10 points behind leaders Napoli.
“It was a well-deserved victory against Torino. For it to become an important success, we must have continuity, starting against Empoli,” Allegri told reporters on Thursday.
“The team is doing better mentally. The victory against Torino gave us more serenity. The mood of the group is also dictated by results, but we have to be careful against Empoli tomorrow.
“Empoli is a fast and technical team. To win, we have to put ourselves on par with them and show that we have more value. If, on the other hand, we think we are superior, we risk making mistakes.”
Allegri said that midfielder Paul Pogba (knee) and winger Federico Chiesa (torn ligament) are still sidelined and will not be available for the game.
Pogba underwent surgery after he damaged his meniscus in training and the France international is fighting to recover in time for selection at next month’s World Cup.
“Federico participated in two training sessions while Paul only partially joined the group in the last training session,” Allegri said.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
