Thiago Motta: Juventus-Inter ‘maybe the most important game of the season’ | OneFootball

Juventus coach Thiago Motta has admitted that Juventus’s upcoming Derby d’Italia match against Inter is ‘maybe the most important of the season’, but feels no pressure after recording three consecutive victories in the lead-up to Sunday’s game.

The Bianconeri coach gave his assessment of his Juventus team, his upcoming opponents and the recent refereeing controversies in Serie A during his pre-match press conference on Saturday afternoon.

Motta began by giving a quick update on Juve’s current injury list, revealing that Andrea Cambiaso will be back for the first time since the 2-1 loss to Napoli at the end of January.

“The team is doing well, and winning is always good. I’ve seen the guys in good shape. Tomorrow there will be no Kalulu, Bremer, Milik, Cabal, but we will have Cambiaso back. Kelly is fine,” Motta said, reported via TMW.

Thiago Motta: Juventus-Inter ‘maybe the most important of the season’

Motta is adamant that Juventus are not feeling any pressure ahead of the Inter test on Sunday.

“The most important thing is the next game. This is a very important match where we will all feel the pressure. We have to focus 200%.

“We always aim for victory, that’s our job. Preparing and doing the right things to achieve that. However, we need to earn it and give everything we have to compete against a strong opponent. Tomorrow’s game is extremely important, maybe the most important of the season. We need to be a team throughout the entire match.”

Kenan Yildiz of Juventus celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 27, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Does Motta feel that Inzaghi tends to struggle against his teams?

“No, not really. Bologna challenged Inter. It’s a different story, things change. Inzaghi is a great coach and I have a lot of respect for him. I view him as a serious coach who stands by his approach. He’s a human being first and foremost, and then a coach.

“I respect him a lot, and tomorrow we have to go about the game with humility, doing things well so that we have a good chance of winning.”

Thiago Motta also gave a glowing review of January recruit Renato Veiga, who has been thrown straight in with injuries at centre-back.

“Renato has the quality to start the play without having to drop a midfielder back. The central defenders have that responsibility. Renato is good at playing short passes, finding free men between the lines, and he also has a great long pass, which Locatelli does too. Federico (Gatti) is improving a lot. Kelly did well in his last game, though he could improve on some decisions.”

Renato Veiga of Juventus gestures at the end of the Serie A match between Juventus and Empoli at Allianz Stadium on February 02, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Motta was asked if he has had a chance to catch up on Simone Inzaghi’s pre-match assessments.

He replied: “I respect everyone’s opinion, including the Inter coach’s. I feel good because the team looks in good shape and I have a lot of energy.  I feel really good when I wake up and come to work. I’m focused on tomorrow’s game. We’ve had time to recover and iron out details. I’m calm, and I hope the team can maintain that calm tomorrow.”

And, on the current state of refereeing in Serie A, he added: “There are mistakes, they happen and always will. I make mistakes too, so I can’t judge. I respect everyone’s opinions. When controversies arise, we’re all responsible, me included.

“There’s too much talk, but it’s part of the game. We just hope that tomorrow there are fewer mistakes. The referees need support: no simulation, no violent fouls. We’ve moved from one extreme to the other. It’s part of the game and needs to be accepted.”