Spalletti & Kelly: Playing at home gives us belief | OneFootball

The Juventus Men’s First Team are preparing to face Galatasaray in the second leg of their Champions League playoff round tie, with a big comeback needed at the Allianz Stadium.

Coach Luciano Spalletti was joined by Lloyd Kelly for the pre-match press conference. Here’s what they had to say:

LLOYD KELLY

“Playing in front of our own fans gives us belief and confidence. We know the position we’re in and that it’s a tough task, but we have to be ready for a game like this.

“We know the player we’re coming up against [Victor Osimhen]. We’ve worked hard, and we’ll look to start the game in the right way tomorrow, hoping for a different result to the first leg. We want to play at a high level, which I always look to do. We know it won’t be easy, but it’ll be a great challenge for us to face.

“I’m proud and honoured to play for a club like Juventus. I was able to settle right away, as a player and a person. I always want to learn how to improve, you always have to be focused and determined. I’ve tried to do that here.”

LUCIANO SPALLETTI

“Some games aren’t just played, but composed. Tomorrow requires the involvement and participation of the whole environment, and we need the spirit of our fans. We know it’s a delicate situation, but we’re asking them to stand by our side tomorrow. With them by our side, we are stronger.

“[Kenan] Yildiz is a leader for us already, even at his young age. You can see it in his behaviour and how he carries himself even when times are tough. He has shown a desire to stay here, and that already elevates him. He wants to be here, and today he made that clear to me as he left the pitch. He wants to be involved tomorrow at any cost, and today he trained partially with the group. 

“Gleison [Bremer] will be called up and used in the game. He is, like Yildiz, made of the right stuff.

“Filip [Kostic] is valuable as a person, as a professional, and as someone who belongs to this club. He has a very powerful left foot, and I think he can play on the right, as we've already seen, to make the most of that left foot of his. He will be given the opportunity to show what he's worth.

“The next two games [against Galatasaray and then Roma] carry equal weight. They’re both big threats, but equally exciting challenges. We’re thinking about Galatasaray now. It’ll be tough, but along with our fans we’ll look to do all we can. Until the very end, we’ll try everything we can. We need to be more solid than we have been. We know our worth, we need to be united and compact. We are hammering this home with the guys, we have to show that what we are right now is not we’ve shown.

“As a group, we don’t need to feed into other people’s opinions. We each take our share of the criticism, and that way it’s a lighter burden to bear. You can see this in the guys’ behaviour. We’ve reset, and we’re ready to play the match at our best level. Hard times don’t take away your value, they force you to show it.”