The Bianconeri will host Villarreal for a place in the quarter-finals of the competition after the first leg in Spain had ended 1-1.
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Juventus head coach Massimilioano Allegri is hopeful that his side can win the second leg of the Champions League last-16 fixture in 90 minutes. The Bianconeri will host Villarreal for a place in the quarter-finals of the competition after the first leg in Spain had ended 1-1. Dusan Vlahovic’s opener inside 32 seconds was canceled out by Dani Parejo’s later strike. Meanwhile Juve players Paulo Dybala and Giorgio Chiellini, who had remained on the sidelines for over a month due to a muscle injury, will be back in action for the important clash against the La Liga side.
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“Chiellini, Dybala and Bernardeschi return. Hopefully, we’ll win in 90 minutes. Otherwise, we’ll need extra time. Substitutions will be important,” Allegri said at a press conference.
“Bonucci is out, he played at Empoli and against Villarreal despite not feeling well. He has a calf problem and can’t get over it. Alex Sandro felt something in the soleus muscle, it’s tricky, so I won’t take any risk. It’s not the last game of the season.”
The abolition of away goal rule means both slides enter the contest on a level playing field. Villarreal will travel to Turin as underdogs but the Europa League champions are capable of punching above their weight.
“I have clear ideas, hopefully, I’ll get it right. The team is feeling well. It’s the decisive moment of the season,” the coach continued.
“We must have the ambition to reach the final, it’s a target we have so we must try. If we are good and lucky, we’ll make it, if the others are better than us, we won’t make it. We can’t have regrets, tomorrow is like a final that we play at home.”
Alvaro Morata scored a double against Sampdoria in the previous game and is in pretty good form. If Dybala is included in the starting eleven we could see a three-man forward line, with Dybala and Morata deployed on either side of center-forward Vlahovic.
““Vlahovic will play, Morata is in good form and he’s always had quality. He was always criticised despite playing in a position that was not his natural one. I am happy with him, he is playing well with Vlahovic, he has more freedom on the pitch. We all feel well, we’ll also need a bit of luck to qualify.”
Juventus are now unbeaten in their last 12 games in all competitions, their last defeat was against Inter Milan in the Super Cup in January.
“The lads are doing well, we’ve become a solid group and it’s thanks to them,” the coach said.
“However, we’ve done nothing so far. We can’t lose balance, we must keep our feet on the ground and take a step at a time. The target was to get to March and play for our targets. We are here, there’s adrenaline, fans will have to help us.
“Villarreal are an experienced team, with a very good coach. They concede almost nothing, we must make as few mistakes as possible and prepare the game well. We took some risks in Spain, but we also had a few chances to double the lead.
“The ball is smaller and heavier in March, it’s a funny moment of the season. We are in the race for three targets, now we need to reach them.”
