Motta: Important to bounce back against Cagliari | OneFootball

At 20:45 (CET) tomorrow, Sunday 23 February 2025, Juventus will face Cagliari away from home on Matchday 26 of the Serie A season.

Coach Thiago Motta previewed the challenge against the Sardinian side in today’s pre-match press conference.

CAGLIARI CLASH

“It's important to get back out on the pitch just a few days after the away match in the Netherlands. 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. I have no doubt that the lads will put in the maximum effort tomorrow (Sunday 23 February): the important thing is to show that we want to get going again right away and put in a great performance.

“There is a chance that [Dusan] Vlahovic will start, as well as all the others. He could play with [Randal] Kolo Muani: this option will be tried out when there is the opportunity and when he is the best choice for the team. For tomorrow, whoever is in better condition will get more minutes.”

INDIVIDUALS

“I think [Timothy] Weah performs very well as a full-back: he can be aggressive, he can defend, he can win duels. He can improve, but he always presses his man well. In addition to these aspects, he also gives us a big helping hand in the attacking phase: I'm happy with what he's doing in that position.

“Alberto Costa has been doing well in training since he arrived: he is attentive, learns quickly and has excellent physical qualities. If he keeps working like this, when his opportunity comes he will do very well: he is hungry and I see how hard he works every day. He is happy to be at Juventus and wants to prove his worth: I am happy to have him in the group.

“[Francisco] Conceicao gained experience at Ajax and Porto, two great clubs that know how to play good football. He has a lot of room for improvement, even in the final third: when to choose to dribble, to pass it to a team-mate or to go for goal. We often talk about this with him: sometimes he has to be closer to the goal to try to score, sometimes he needs to find more space. The important thing is his attitude: he is attentive, he listens, he improves and so far he has contributed a lot. I'm convinced he will do the same in the future.”

WATCH THE ENTIRETY OF THIAGO MOTTA'S PRESS CONFERENCE HERE