Juventus Boss Demands Instant Reaction After Champions League Exit | OneFootball

Juventus manager Thiago Motta is desperate for his team to bounce back from a heartbreaking Champions League exit against Cagliari. The record-time Serie A champions will take on the bottom-half Sardinians in a high-stakes away league clash later tonight.

Only a point adrift of fourth-placed Lazio, Juventus can break into the top four with a win at the Unipol Domus. However, a 3-1 extra-time loss at PSV Eindhoven in midweek Champions League action derailed the team’s spirits following a 1-0 league win against Derby d’Italia rivals Inter.

Motta hopes Juventus can immediately return to winning ways, perhaps inspired by his first three-game winning league run since taking charge last summer.

“It’s important to get back out on the pitch just a few days after the away match in the Netherlands,” the Juventus coach told the club’s official website. “It will be a complicated match in Cagliari, we know the difficulties that we will have to deal with. We have to put in a great performance to maintain our momentum in the league.

“We won’t have [Renato] Veiga or [Pierre] Kalulu available, as well as [Gleison] Bremer, [Juan] Cabal and [Arkadiusz] Milik,” Motta continued. “I have no doubt that the lads will put in the maximum effort tomorrow. The important thing is to show that we want to get going again right away and put in a great performance.”

Juventus have fared remarkably in Serie A since the start of February. Three wins from as many outings have helped them remain within striking distance of Lazio as they bid to secure another Champions League finish.